An in depth analysis and comparison of which brand is using social correctly; LOFT or J. Crew?

1. Sarah Hickman
October 15, 2013

2. executive
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………......3
The Companies……………………………………………………………………………………..4
Social Analytics……………………………………………………………………………………..5
Facebook Analysis………………………………………………………………………………….6
LOFT Facebook Page
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J. Crew Facebook Page
8
Recommendations
9
Twitter Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………...10
LOFT Twitter Page
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J. Crew Twitter Page
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Recommendations
13
Pinterest Analysis………………………………………………………………………………….14
LOFT Pinterest Account
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J. Crew Pinterest Account
16
Recommendations
17
Instagram Analysis………………………………………………………………………………...18
LOFT Facebook Page
19
J. Crew Facebook Page
20
Recommendations
21
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………….22
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3. As competitors in women’s specialty retail, J. Crew and LOFT both aim to
create classic styles for the everyday fashionista. Although J. Crew offers
products for multiple target markets, it can be compared with LOFT
especially when discussing their emphasis on women’s clothing. The
purpose of this presentation is to delve past the base of the company and
analyze how each is using social media. J. Crew and LOFT both maintain
multiple accounts on various platforms including Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, and Instagram. Even though both companies are active on
multiple social media sites, by the end of this in depth analysis we will have
an answer to the question:
Who is the social success?
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4. LOFT
As one of their two specialty retail fashion brands
for women, LOFT is the second major half of ANN,
Inc. Viewed as the more casual of the two brands,
LOFT prides itself on being a genuine clothing
option that women can trust. Providing clients
with fashion inspiration, style advice, and a
comfortably chic line of clothing, the brand is a go
to for women in need of a stylish and affordable
retailer who shows their love for their LOFT girls.
Offering an assortment of women’s, men’s, and
most recently children’s apparel and accessories, J.
Crew continues to capture the attention of young
shoppers looking for fashion forward, classic pieces.
Even with items reaching prices considered high for
average shoppers, J. Crew attracts its clients with
edgy, stylish, and fun pieces that can be mixed and
matched to create fashionable, yet comfortable
outfits that are tangible to most shoppers.
LIVE. LOVE. LOFT.
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5. LOFT
Before analyzing each platform, it is
important to look at Social Analytics to
gain a better idea of each company’s
presence in social. Comparing the
numbers provided by Social Mention side
by side, the companies both excel in
different areas. LOFT tends to have a
better ratio of sentiment than J. Crew, but
at the same time J. Crew has greater
strength throughout social media than
does LOFT. They both have very similar
levels of reach in terms of unique prints,
but LOFT currently has a greater amount
of passion. This analytical measure
fluctuates fairly regularly for both
companies though. Overall, both have
good numbers in terms of social analytics,
but an area of concern for LOFT is its level
of strength.
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6. LOFT
After joining Facebook in August of 2008, LOFT has made
users aware of its presence on this social media platform. It
has a strong following with 1,355,127 likes on the brand’s
Facebook page and growing. Other numbers indicating its
strength are the 3,851 “people talking about this” and the
5,977 unique indications of people visiting LOFT locations.
With such a strong presence, it is evident that Facebook is
the main focus for the company when it comes to social
media. The page invites fans to “like” the page as an
incentive to be the first to learn of new deals, sales, events,
and more. LOFT also utilizes the views and apps section of
the page to allow followers to enter contests, sign up to be a
“LOFT Insider”, as well as providing views of their Twitter,
Pinterest, and Instagram accounts. The posts on the LOFT
page are not all uniform in look. Some use the large photo
format with text in the photo or describing it while others
are only text and the posts appear to be more
conversational. The main uses of the Facebook page are to
promote new collections and highlight certain items,
update followers on current sales, and for insight into what
LOFT is currently working on or involved with.
With a much different approach to the company Facebook
page than LOFT, J. Crew has a following that is also strong,
but is not what would be expected for a company with
multiple target markets spanning men, women, and
children. Since joining Facebook in July of 2009, J. Crew
has 1,067420 likes with 5,929 unique people “talking about
this”. In the area for views and apps, the company only has
a section for events and a link to their J. Crew on Film site.
Almost every post utilizes the larger photo format,
highlighting one specific topic of interest or clothing item
with barely any text. J. Crew also uses the large photo
format to bring attention to albums that present a few
photos of new collections or articles and posts about people
in the J. Crew workplace. Each post contains at least one
photo, few words, and is finished off with links to more
complete content.
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9. LOFT
When it comes to J. Crew’s company page, compared to its
other social media platforms, the Facebook platform seems to
be given the least amount of attention in terms of thought and
strategy. The posts are very random and do not follow any
direction. They range from employee “meet and greets” to
store opening events to clothing highlights to posts including
only a picture and one sentence about something that may or
may not have to do with the clothing line. The company
would benefit from providing at least a weekly post that
followed the same format each week. This would give
Facebook followers something to look forward to and a post
that they easily recognized on a regular basis. J. Crew targets
a young, hip, stylish crowd and they are missing an
opportunity to really engage them through Facebook. Lacking
any views and apps, J. Crew is also missing out on providing
another place for their loyal fans and newcomers to quickly
interact with their other social media sites. J. Crew is also
missing out on the ability to run contests through Facebook.
The company has a more solid foundation on other platforms,
and they could use that to their advantage by creating a photo
or style contest on those sites while using Facebook to
organize and promote it.
After looking through the posts and content on the LOFT
Facebook page, it is clear that women who follow the
company on here want to share their opinions and engage.
What is missing from the posts is a prompt or an
invitation/reason for them to engage in conversation with
both the brand and each other. The conversations on the
current posts are not sparked by buzz created strategically by
LOFT and this is definitely an area that can be capitalized on.
LOFT has many other great ways to get women involved with
the company such as the email sign up section offered and
the multiple views that allow followers to check out their
other social media sites. Another area that could be changed
is the constant sales updates. Even though women want to
know about them, Facebook is not the best place to throw
sales at their trusted clients. LOFT prides itself on being the
personal stylist and confidante to women, but that is not the
image portrayed with the constant sales talk. Instead, LOFT
needs to use the large photo format and highlight key pieces
for the season, how bloggers are wearing it, and invite their
Facebook followers to share their own style tips and advice
and make them feel a part of the conversation and brand.
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10. LOFT
Although the company is very active on Twitter with 5,892
tweets, LOFT only has 35,890 followers. The content found
on the LOFT Twitter account follows a different direction
than that found on the company Facebook page. There are
two main categories of content that is continually used: daily
#LOFTGirl quotes and fun advice, as well as sales updates
and the newest deals of the day. Mixed throughout these two
main areas of content are tweets that mention current
campaigns and causes that LOFT supports and is involved
with. As Twitter only allows 140 characters, the tweets fit in
to this format and many of the tweets are accompanied by a
shortened link. Hashtags are used in most of the tweets such
as the previously mentioned #LOFTGirl, #LiveInPink, and
#LoveMondays. Some other random hashtags are used
depending on the content for each individual tweet. LOFT
does not tweet pictures or videos very often at all and most of
the pictures are advertisement type photos with sales codes.
Although J. Crew is not as active in terms of tweeting from
their company Twitter account with only 547 tweets, the
company has 194,268 followers. This number is growing
quickly considering as of two days ago, their number of
followers has increased by over 500. Tweeting twice a day on
average, the content on the J. Crew Twitter page does not
contain mentions of current sales or offers anywhere. It
focuses more on providing interesting information on
different behind the scenes elements of the brand, style
advice and tips, and content that is more utilitarian and
useful to the J. Crew Twitter followers. Every tweet is
accompanied by a link to their blog, articles, videos, photos,
or pictures posted to Instagram. In doing this, J. Crew
employs a more visual element to their strategy. The brand
image is also strengthened via the company Twitter account
as J. Crew tweets about more than just their products and
deals. The company has a persona on Twitter with tweets
such as, “Happy First Day of Summer. We’re dreaming of the
beach (naturally). #summer #surf” A link to a Pinterest board
with surf inspired fashions brings the consumer back to the
products without shoving it onto the newsfeeds of followers.
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13. LOFT
Even though LOFT properly follows the Twitter format and
keeps their content within the 140 character limit, they need
to reevaluate their Twitter strategy. It is evident from
analyzing the retweets and favorites from the two main areas
of content which direction LOFT needs to focus on. The
tweets containing sales information and offers receive fewer
retweets, mentions, and create less conversation versus the
tweets with relatable quotes, fun statements, and updates on
the current campaigns such as the current one “Live in Pink”.
Twitter is a forum where people update their followers on
what they are doing or feeling at the present moment and is
more personal than platforms such as Facebook. LOFT needs
to put more focus on tweeting material that women can
relate to, such as their #LOFTGirl tweets, and that speaks
directly to them as a woman and not as a consumer. In doing
so, women will want to retweet and share the fun tweets with
their followers which will create more buzz and LOVE for
LOFT as a brand. Using Twitter to update sales is not a good
use of the platform and does not build brand image. Also,
LOFT could engage and excite people on Twitter by adding
more related pictures of fun products to their fun tweets.
Right off the bat, you notice the lack of hashtags. They are
not mandatory per say on Twitter, but it certainly is a very
active element unique to the platform. Hashtags help to tie
events together and create buzz over one specific topic. J.
Crew has a great presence and strategy for the most part on
Twitter, but there is not common element among any of the
tweets. Give followers a hashtag that they can attribute to the
J. Crew brand. This will allow them to tweet at J. Crew and
mentions can be compiled based on this certain hashtag. It
just makes sense when using the Twitter platform and
attempting to create conversation. Also, despite the fact that
J. Crew has useful but also personal content that helps to
strengthen the brand image, there is no rhyme or reason to
the posts. They are too random and there needs to be at least
one or two areas of content that occur on a more regular
basis. Give followers something to look forward to such as a
weekly style idea from J. Crew that also encourages followers
to tweet pictures of their own takes on the style of the week
by using the hashtag #jcrewyou.
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14. LOFT
J. Crew has a more uniform approach to their Pinterest
account. With only 24 boards, the company has an
impressive 85,491 followers and 1,165 pins. Each of the 24
boards has a unique theme that carries throughout each
picture. As a viewer, you can tell that each picture was
chosen carefully and for a specific reason for each board. The
boards also have very simple, easy names with most of them
consisting of only one word. One of the coolest boards is
called “My Shoe Story” and it literally follows the style
inspirations in photo form for each shoe in the collection. J.
Crew not only has a large following, but the Pinterest boards
are very active when it comes to repins and favorites. Many
photos have at least 200 to 500 repins! What is interesting is
that there are boards devoted to showcasing collections and
pieces through a monthly Style Guide, while other boards
bring the inspirations and collections to life through related
photographs and artistic pieces in separate boards. It is
almost as if each collection tells a complete story through
other boards and then is revealed in the Style Guide. The
Pinterest account is very well thought out and clearly shows
that the Pinterest target group, women, enjoys J. Crew on the
platform.
LOFT also has a presence on Pinterest, which is a pinboard style photo-sharing website. They currently have
15,914 followers, 82 boards, and 1,301 pins. Each board has
a common theme such as the board called “One Piece
Wonder” which features one item favorites from the
Summer 2013 collection. From some of LOFT’s favorite
pieces of their newest collections to some of their Style
Icons, the array of boards on the company Pinterest
account is pretty diverse. Although there are many random
boards that do not follow similar patterns and formats,
each board does have its own “story”. The boards that
continue to have the most repins and favorites are those
that tell the “story” of the latest collection and show LOFT’s
favorite items. Another popular set of boards are those that
highlight pieces and people involved with the “Live In
Pink” Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. The random
boards showing favorite foods, style icons, or even best
places in New York City (where LOFT headquarters is
located) do not receive nearly as many repins.
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17. LOFT
J. Crew has done a great job with its Pinterest account. It
is neatly organized, looks as clean and classic as the
clothes do, and appeals to the younger female
demographic that they are tarketing. The inspirational
boards and photos that flank the clothing photos look
great and are correctly used in terms of strategy. J. Crew
utilizes the Pinterest platform as it is intended, and it is
clear that Pinners enjoy the J. Crew Pinterest page as
well. One recommendation that is similar to LOFT is to
limit the random boards, such as the one labeled NYC.
The quirky photos may be fun and interesting, but the
amount of repins is significantly less than those albums
showing inspirational photos side by side with clothing
items that are styled to play off of the inspirational photo
choices. Also, the description under the J. Crew name
states, “Sometimes things that don’t seem to go together,
do.” This is a really cool and interesting main theme if
followed throughout, but it is not. The description should
be changed to something about inspiration being all
around, which would tie in all of the boards much better.
LOFT also has a presence on Pinterest, which is a pin-board
style photo-sharing website. They currently have 15,914
followers, 82 boards, and 1,301 pins. Each board has a
common theme such as the board called “One Piece
Wonder” which features one item favorites from the
Summer 2013 collection. From some of LOFT’s favorite
pieces of their newest collections to some of their Style
Icons, the array of boards on the company Pinterest account
is pretty diverse. Although there are many random boards
that do not follow similar patterns and formats, each board
does have its own “story”. The boards that continue to have
the most repins and favorites are those that tell the “story”
of the latest collection and show LOFT’s favorite items.
Another popular set of boards are those that highlight
pieces and people involved with the “Live In Pink” Breast
Cancer Awareness Campaign. The random boards showing
favorite foods, style icons, or even best places in New York
City (where LOFT headquarters is located) do not receive
nearly as many repins.
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18. LOFT
J. Crew has embraced Instagram and continues to grow in
numbers every day. Boasting 272,685 followers, this
number has rapidly increased by almost 10,000 followers
in a mere three days!! The average number of likes per
photo hangs around 5,000 showing that J. Crew has
captured the attention of its target market on Instagram.
The photos posted to the account do not just point out
clothes from the J. Crew line. Instead, they are more
organic in nature in that the photos chosen to post have
stories behind them, just as the photos on personal
accounts do. J. Crew does post photos that show styled
outfits which is only fitting considering they are a specialty
retail company, but the outfits are placed on people that
are more relatable than just looking at a body with the
brand’s clothes on. Another fun element found throughout
the posts is one of J. Crew’s newest ideas that is indicated
by #Discovered. The main purpose of this hashtag and
movement are to show the brand community what J. Crew
as a fashion icon has discovered itself over the years and
even in the present. Different foods, stores, designers,
other fashion icons, etc. can all appear and be seen as
having been #Discovered.
On the Instagram platform, it is evident that LOFT has very
recently, as in the past two months, changed it strategy.
Beginning in August, posts are more frequent and occur
around once a day instead of randomly throughout each
month. One common element that has also become a major
part of the strategy is LOFT’s #5secondstylist photos. A well
photographed image of a styled outfit is explained in the
short text blurb. This new format and hashtag is giving the
LOFT instagram more engagement and action than ever
before with photos receiving upwards of 1,000+ likes. The
LOFT Instagram page has 19,497 followers, which has
grown by over 100 people in the past two days, as well as
240 posts. LOFT does attempt to use the platform to create
engagement and buzz through contests and giveaways by
posting a picture with the text box explaining the contest
and redirecting followers to the contest rules page. Last
Spring, LOFT attempted to engage followers by inviting
them to share a photo of them with their mom using
#LOFTlovesmoms and LOFT would then feature their faves,
but only two photos were put on to Instagram.
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21. LOFT
J. Crew is doing very well on Instagram. They understand
the platform and utilize what it has to offer to add to their
brand image. The #Discovered campaign gives a cool insight
into what the company has learned and found over the years,
and using Instagram to share this with followers is a great
way to show how authentic the brand is. Using real people
from the company, such as their own stylists and designers,
to wear the clothing item being photographed is a great idea.
This also feeds into the authenticity of the company and
shows that if they can wear it, so can I. J. Crew does not use
Instagram to continually post photos of their clothing or
fashion, but they have tailored their strategy to reveal their
brand identity to their consumers. As their target market is
the younger crowd, Instagram is the perfect place to do just
that and reach them. One recommendation for the J. Crew
Instagram account is that the company needs to engage their
followers in more ways than just expecting them to like the
newest photos. J. Crew could add to the #Discovered
campaign by encouraging and exciting J. Crew followers to
share their own #Discovered things.
Although LOFT has recently changed its strategy on
Instagram, there is still room for improvement. It seems
that they are still unclear on the exact purpose of
Intagram and how to properly use it to enhance their
brand image and engage their followers at the same
time. The #5SecondStylist is a great addition, especially
because it can be used throughout any campaign LOFT
has throughout the year. Women love style tips! And it
feeds into the image LOFT wants women to have of the
company as being their personal stylist. Even with this
great addition to the newsfeed, one area LOFT needs to
revisit is their strategy for engagement. Instagram is not
the place to post advertisement s for contests or to put
words in the place of the artistic and creative photos.
Instagram is very visually stimulating, and text
completely takes away from the brand image. LOFT is
hurting their image by throwing their contests at their
followers. That is for Facebook. Instead, use Instagram
for its hashtags such as exciting followers by saying “post
a photo of your #5SecondStylist moment”. Get them
involved. Do not annoy them!
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22. Throughout the analysis of both LOFT and J. Crew, it is evident that they each
have their own strong areas when it comes to social media. LOFT focuses on
Facebook and has gained a large following because of it. J. Crew focuses more
on the visual platforms and excels on Instagram. Although they both have
their strong points, it is safe to say that J. Crew has a more mature
presence in social. The company effectively and properly uses each
platform, but they still have room to grow. With some minor tweaks and more
strategic ways to engage their followers and fans, J. Crew will only continue to
grow. LOFT needs to make sure they pay attention to guidelines and “rules” of
each platform. Not everyone wants to see a sales pitch or offer on every social
media site, and they need to be aware of which platforms to use for each
purpose. Overall, both companies are very active on multiple social media
sites and have created large fan bases, but J. Crew is the Social Success.
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