Racing Green, the fashion brand which pioneered the ’preppy’ look
among the UK’s young upwardly mobiles, is starting a major direct
marketing initiative as part of a repositioning exercise.
The move follows the appointment of Davies Little Cowley Fiddes to mount
a direct response national press campaign to build the brand’s customer
database and drive catalogue orders while making it a more potent
competitor to rivals such as Gap.
The assignment, after a pitch involving a number of undisclosed
agencies, extends and broadens the relationship between Racing Green and
Mark Fiddes, the direct marketing specialist who joined Davies Little as
the joint creative director during the summer (Campaign, 19 June). Media
buying is being handled by All Response Media.
The initiative comes after a statement from Racing Green’s Arcadia
parent, formerly the Burton group, whose stores include Top Shop, Evans
and Burtons Menswear. It cites its direct sales division as the fastest
growing part of the group with business up 65 per cent on last year.
Davies Little will also work on posters to support Racing Green’s 12
retail outlets in major cities, as well as working on a campaign for
Evans Direct, a catalogue for larger women.
Fiddes, who previously worked as a consultant on the brand, said:
’Racing Green’s advertising used to be all yachts and polo ponies. Our
job is to position the brand as a statement of attitude rather than
lifestyle.’
