Assignment 2 – 4 Pleasures Analysis

For this assignment, we are required to expand on the RMA (reverse marketing analysis) profile developed in class into a target user profile.

For the class assignment, the following product was assigned.

MCM Varsity Jacket
Photo from Highsnobiety

Product Analysis

The varsity jacket was to 80’s Hip-hop what the ice hockey jersey is to present day Hip-hop. Celebrities from Salt n’ Pepa, Eric B. & Rakim and Run-D.M.C all favored the varsity jacket.

The Munich based luxury goods company, MCM, under ex Adidas creative director Michael Michalsky has brought back the varsity jacket albeit with more class. The luxurious MCM gold leather varsity jacket identifies its wearer as amongst the hip and the trendy, yet subtlely connotes it’s owner as amongst the rich and informed few…

Target User Profile

Target user: Johan, 28, Senior Accounts Executive (Ad)

Johan is currently with one of the largest advertising company in Singapore. He has been in the advertising industry for 6 years. Needless to mention, his portfolio is rather astounding with many local jewelers and fine watches retailers under his care.

Johan is no push-over. His resourcefulness and assertiveness is what kept him alive in the cut-throat, shark-infested environment at work. He knows what needs to be done and will stop at nothing to do it. The frightening thing is, Johan plays the GAME well. Every colleague of his think of him fondly. He is, to many, Mr Nice Guy.

Johan is the eldest of two. He grew up in a comfortably wealthy family. While his parents are not filthy rich, they are able to let young Johan pursue whatever interests he might have. Johan has tried his hands on archery, pottery, playing in a rock band, turn-tabling and even Brazilian Jujitsu. All these interests funded gladly by his parents, not to mention the two yearly vacations the family enjoy without fail.

While Johan has since moved out of his parents place two years ago, he goes back for dinner almost daily. Reason being it’s more cost efficient rather than to keep his parents company. After dinner, Johan returns to a condominium along Napier Road, a quick 20 minutes drive away in his Jeep Compass. Not for long though, he has just placed an order for the new Hummer that was recently allowed onto Singapore roads. Johan can never understand why drivers complain about fuel price hike all the time. He feels that they will save a whole lot more if they just take the bus. If you have to drive and gripe about it incessantly, then maybe you shouldn’t be driving at all.

Johan performs his nightly routine of working out before hitting the showers. Before he retires for the night, Johan usually checks his email for the last time. He doesn’t like to be “surprised” when he goes in for work in the morning. Tonight’s a little different though. It’s a holiday tomorrow so he thumbs through the various E-vites from the various clubs and bars of which he is a member of.

Nothing interesting, guess he’ll have no excuse to skip the dinner party the boss organized. The excitement of such parties has long lost its appeal on him. What’s so exciting when the boss invites you over monthly without fail? Closing his laptop, Johan drafts out a quick list of chores for the part time maid coming in tomorrow. He likes the house spotless when he returns from his weekly squash game.

Though not a fan of whisky himself, Johan makes a mental note to bring along one of the many bottles of Macallan 12 he has for the dinner tomorrow night. They are handy for such occasions, not too shabby nor does it screams “suck-up”. No one ever complains about a bottle of Mac.

Physio Pleasure

• Johan has a sedentary job. That said, the amount of pressure Johan undergoes daily- both from his clients and from the office politics, is enormous.
• That’s why he loves playing squash, it helps him to keep fit while giving him an excuse to hit something REALLY HARD. After a good game of squash, Johan always feel physically drained but mentally refreshed. (need & appreciation pleasure)

Socio Pleasure

• Johan knows the importance of being seen. He hangs out regularly at new and hip watering holes. He portrays himself as the generous guy who appreciates living life to the fullest. He orders booze by the bottles and only goes for the premium labels. (need pleasure)
• More importantly, Johan recognises that it is not only about being seen, but also with whom is he seen with. As such, He rations his partying such that he only visits places where he has priority entry or exclusive events where only members are allowed in. (appreciation pleasure)
• Johan indulges himself with the latest watches, cars and booze. He’s currently wearing a Breitling, with the intention of getting a Panerai within the next two years. His poison of choice/soft spot is Champagne, though he is hesitant to admit it. His wine chiller currently stocks, amidst other booze, twelve bottles of 99 Dom Perignon. (appreciation pleasure)
• Johan gets immense fulfilment from the pursuit of material products. The watch on his wrist, the car that he drives and the booze that he drinks, so what if others cannot tell the difference? Johan feels self assured when he uses them, to him, they are signs that he has made it. Again.
  Heck, if there’s a tooth brush made from Swarovsk crystal, he’ll get that too!

Psycho Pleasure

• Due to his stressful work nature and environment. Johan rarely has the indulgence of letting go and relax. In the rare few occasions where he allows himself to wind down/let his guard down. Johan likes to watch mentally undemanding programs like Comedy Central. (need pleasure)
• Even rarer now, Johan will sometimes drop by the pottery studio or spin for a few hours on his turn tables. To Johan, these are frivolous pursuits of his youth that he now tries to limit access to. But deep down, the familiarity and his competency at such activities gives him a lot of satisfaction and a sense of achievement. (appreciation pleasure)

Ideo Pleasure

• Johan is very critical and conscious about how people think of him. He is eager to portray himself as sophisticated, generous and “in-the-know”. (need pleasure)
• That said, Johan does not go for the ostentatious, he shuns away from such products. He is extremely mindful of the intended image portrayed. Johan is careful about mindlessly following fashion trends. Using handbags as an analogy, where most people would go for Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada, Johan would rather go for Hermes or Todd’s. They are branded nonetheless, but a more subdued/subtle sign that he has “arrived”. (appreciation pleasure)
• Johan likes stuff that only the informed few would appreciate.

Product Benefits Specifications

Criterias to meet Need Pleasures

• Sms, voicecall, 3G technology and push-mail functions to meet the work demands of Johan.
• Sturdy built and good workmanship.
• Must emit sophisticated vibes. The make of the phone need not be instantly recognizable but the design should be unanimously regarded as good.

Criterias to meet Appreciation Pleasures

• Exclusivity. Best if there are limited editions/quantity.
• Camera for photos opportunities with the rich and famous.
• Low mass appeal (aka ridiculously priced), phone preferably not be instantly recognizable.
• Unique material or design. To be a conversation starter.
• Only the informed consumers should be able to pick it out.

Recommended Phone (that’s out in the market)

THE Vertu

While the brand Vertu is synonymous with class, exquisiteness and exclusivity. The handset itself is relatively difficult to pick out amongst the many hand phones available. As such, they are arguably still exclusive, privy only to the informed few. Hence making it the ideal phone for the go-getter, Johan.