Marketing maestro Beverley Johnson has worked for the likes of Pacific Brands, jag and Warehouse UK. She reveals her recent move into the boutique space to assia benmedjdoub.
I got my professional start in advertising, working on retail accounts and gaining valuable insight into the industry. I was very keen to work on the client side and a role came up at Jag in the late 1990s, working with Adele Palmer. I never looked back.
One of my most memorable moments in the industry would have to be the Jag campaign with Linda Evangelista in spring/summer 1999 – challenging to say the least! She refused to talk to myself or the art director and would only communicate with the photographer.
We got there in the end with some amazing shots and product sell outs, so I guess it was worth the pain! Another memorable moment would be when I was working as head of marketing for Warehouse in the UK and we shot in Cannes at an amazing mansion in the hills – I had to pinch myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
I opened my first ‘Sybilla’ boutique in St Kilda this year and another more recently in the heart of Seddon. It’s always been my long-term goal to run my own business and the timing was right.
As an independent, you have so much more control over the store environment, merchandise and staff. I’m on top of it at all times with the ability to make changes if required relatively quickly; the decision is mine and mine alone.
I have three key staff who are fantastic and as passionate about Sybilla as I am. I generally buy indent for the main seasons and then top up as required, with a variety of local and international labels including Mesop, Alexi Freeman, Obus, and Dadda & Co. Two stores is definitely enough for the moment! It is all still quite new to me so the focus now is continuing to build word of mouth and work on the mix of labels.
Before this i was group marketing manager for outerwear and sport at Pacific Brands. I joined in June 2008 and was responsible for the strategic direction of over 20 brands, including Lee, Wrangler, Mossimo, Everlast and Slazenger.
One particular person who stands out during my years in the industry is Yasmin Yusuf, who was the creative director at Warehouse while I was the head of marketing from February 2000 to December 2001. She is an amazing woman – very passionate about the industry and also brilliant at forecasting the winners. She has an amazing eye which resulted in stunning imagery campaign after campaign. She is now creative director at Miss Selfridge in the UK.
The biggest change to the industry since I started would be speed to market. When I started fast fashion did not exist. The speed that retailers can get product from the international catwalks to shop floor is just phenomenal. Whilst I have extensive experience in branding and marketing, I have not been a buyer in my previous roles so managing an open to buy budget has been a learning curve. Especially when you love fashion and need to remember it’s not about your own wardrobe!
As a small business operator, it can be challenging taking yourself out of the store and employing staff. Retail is a roller coaster and you need to be able to ride the ups and downs.
The key issue affecting independents is the cost of rent and staff compared to turnover. If you want to be in a high traffic area, the rents are extremely high and there is no guarantee you are going to do the figures you need to cover costs. Especially if there is a lot of competition.
I’d done quite a bit of research on the Seddon area and it seemed to me, to be a relatively untapped market if I could find the right location. Maybe crazy but we’ll see! The other key issue would be the mix of labels – it’s so important when you operate a boutique to ensure that you look different to everyone else and offer something unique. Having two stores enables me to move stock between the two to ensure the merchandise mix is always fresh. I always seek exclusivity for my area.
The most challenging role I’ve had is, well they were all challenging in their own way. Dealing with difficult people, managing large teams, impossible deadlines, managing multimillion dollar budgets. But in the end, they were all satisfying in their own way.
My experience has taught me the importance of strong, clear branding to stand out from the crowd. I was very fortunate to have Kat Macleod from Ortolan create the Sybilla logo and communication pieces – she really brought the brand to life. Customer service is also paramount to building rapport with your customers. Facebook is such an integral part of my communication strategy to customers – I’m posting almost daily to keep them up to date. It’s also a fantastic forum to gain feedback, instantly.
Group Brand and Marketing manager, Pacific Brands, July 2008 - February 2009. Managed a team of six with sign off on group marketing budget, which was $13 million. Key achievements included: undertaking a qual and quant research project for Mossimo, Mooks and Everlast to assist in defining target market, image and future growth potential; introduced a retail marketing program to ensure there was a consistent window and in-store point of sale program for all three brands.
Marketing director, Jeanswest, April 2002 - June 2008. Managed a team of 10, including store design, visual merchandising, press, marketing and online staff. Key achievements included: brokering a deal with Ksubi to create the exclusive Alba Fan Club range; introduced a loyalty program, which included the implementation of an online registration initiative and in-store sign-up at point of sale.
Head of marketing, Warehouse UK, February 2000 - December 2001. Managed a team of 19, including visual merchandising, press and marketing staff. Key achievements included: increased the Warehouse account card customer base by 40 per cent and decreased the number of single transaction customers; introduced a ‘brand essence’ and ‘brand standards’ bible that clearly defined the brand personality and set out standards to all shop floor staff.
Advertising and PR manager, JAG. Responsible for the development and implementation of advertising, public relations and visual merchandising for all Palmer Corporation brands including Jag, Adele Palmer and 26 Red. Key achievements included: securing Linda Evangelista as the face of Jag spring/summer 2009; drawing a crowd of 1000 people
to a Melbourne Fashion Week parade featuring Linda Evangelista.