Only 54 % of respondents answered this question where the Hollister shop was assessed in an average score of 4.0, which means that the respondents evaluated their shopping experience as “I like it”. Overall, the Hollister brand is mostly bought in-store, and generally customers like the Hollister store design and its concept.
The next question in this section was involved for determination of the perceived level of Hollister brand products. All respondents (261) were asked to generally evaluate products of the Hollister brand through the Likert scale. The products were assessed with an average score of 3.6 out of 5.0 which refers to a slight tending towards the “I like it” option. If there would be considered only respondents who have experience with the brand in terms of trying at least one product, the average score would be slightly higher referring to 3.9. All over, the Hollister brand did not stand out in a general glossiness which can be one aspect that the brand can think about and work on.
The penultimate question concerned customers feeling when they wear the Hollister brand product(s). The most frequently word expressing their feeling was “comfortable”
(42 %), followed by “good” (12 %), “stylish (trendy)” with 11 %, “normally” with 11 %,
“free” or “relaxed” (8 %), and “cool” (6 %). The rest of the words was represented by less than 5 %, such as “summer”, “unique”, and “godlike”. Around 9 % of respondents said that they have no opinion. Summarizing the results of this question, respondents feel very comfortable while wearing products of the Hollister brand which is closely related to feeling free and relaxed. Moreover, some of them feel as stylish and cool people.
From the analysis of these aspects, it is apparent that the combination of these characteristics gives the respondents the unique value that they are looking for.
The last question was orientated on the recommendation of the Hollister brand by respondents who already had had an experience with it (160 respondents). The question consisted of a scale from 1 (I would not recommend the brand at all) to 10 (I would definitely recommend the brand). For assessment was used Net Promotor Score, shortly NPS, that divides respondents according to their likeliness of recommendation into three groups which are detractors (voted from 1 to 6), passives (7-8), and promoters (9-10).
The respondents were asked to choose a level of likeliness that they would recommend the Hollister brand to their relatives or friends. Based on analysis according to NPS, there were 60 respondents of total respondents (38 %) who are ranked among “promoters” and 40 “detractors” (25 %) who selected an option of recommendation likeliness 6 or less.
The number of respondents was the same as by promoters which refers to 60 respondents (38 %), nevertheless, the NPS method does not count with “passives”.
For the determination of NPS result, it must be subtracted the percentage of “detractors”
(25%) from the percentage of “promoters” (38 %). This defines the Net Promotor Score which reached for the Hollister brand 13. As the NPS rating is positive, it means that the Hollister brand has more promoters who are willing to recommend it than detractors.
The score of 13 is counted into a good range, however, the brand has still room for progress.
The questionnaire enabled to discover essential information about the brand image of Hollister brand and its equity. For a better understanding of the attitude of respondents to the Hollister brand were conducted in-depth interviews that served for a development of the essential information.
5.2 Analysis of the individual in-depth online interviews
The second part of the research was conduction of 5 in-depth interviews that are analyzed and presented in this chapter. Recruitment of appropriate interviewees was according to screening questions which consisted of requirements: not working in apparel brand marketing, having knowledge of Hollister brand, and having previous experience with Hollister brand products. In terms of gender, there were chosen two males and three females. The females are represented by a higher number because based on the questionnaire the most respondents were females. Another aspect that was concerned for a selection was a different age which can help to discover a divergent point of view of interviewees. Three interviews were conducted online via Skype communication tool with a possibility to see each other through a camera.
Another two interviews were done in-person, so during all of them I could see respondents’ feelings or reactions to the questions, and they could use their hands to gesticulate, show or describe something. The in-depth interviews were conducted not only for building on collected data from the questionnaire by adding extra information about consumer perception of the Hollister brand but also for a deeper development of essential information. It also served for the exploration of complex opinions and feelings related to the Hollister brand. The structure of the transcript was divided into the same sections as were in the questionnaire, however, there were included some additional sections and sub-questions to enrich the topics.
Some of the interviewees are presented under fictitious names to remain them anonymous. The youngest interviewee was Kateřina who is 23 years old. The highest
level of achieved education is a bachelor’s degree and she is a non-working student currently. The second respondent is Veronika of age 24. She finished her bachelor’s degree and continues with a master’s degree. Besides a university she works. The third female is Sabrina who is 26 years old. She finished her master’s degree and MBA. However, she is still a student of one university and has a full-time job. The following respondent is Jakub who is 28 years old. He finished high school and now is a working student. The last one is 30 years-old Adam who finished his master’s degree and now he works.
For an overview, all respondents are included in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Interviewees profiles
Interviewee’s name Age Level of achieved education Status Kateřina 23 years old Bachelor’s degree Student
Veronika 24 years old Bachelor’s degree Working student Sabrina 26 years old Master’s degree, MBA Working student
Jakub 28 years old High school Working student
Adam 30 years old Master’s degree Working
Source: Author
Answers from in-depth interviews are analyzed according to its sections, themes, and the most basic words that interviewees mentioned. The responses were set up into 11 sections of topics concerning associations, price, quality, brand elements, awareness, communication, shopping experience, loyalty, product portfolio, situations, and unique proposition of the Hollister brand on the Czech market. These topics involve in total 19 categories that always represent the main aspects in a specific section of the topic. For instance, an associations section consists of category free-associations and supported associations. Each category contains codes that are assigned to discovered keywords mentioned by respondents in their answers. In total there are 50 codes that represent the respondent’s opinions and thoughts. For instance, a supported associations category involves three codes which are innovative, attractive, and sport. The overview of transcript sections and questions for the interviews, examples of answers, and a coding analysis are included in the Appendix section at the end of this thesis.
As the main purpose of the questionnaire was the determination of an image of the Hollister brand, a major part of the interviews focused on brand associations that
the respondents relate to this brand. The first category includes free associations of the brand that were mentioned and explained by the respondents. Likewise in the questionnaire, interviewees were asked what the first thing that comes to their mind when they think of the Hollister brand is. However, their answers were more complex than in the questionnaire and they provided more detailed descriptions of their opinions.
Three out of the five respondents mentioned as the first word association a bird (seagull) that is a part of Hollister’s logo. One of the respondents, Jakub (28), said at the beginning of the interview: “The first thing that comes to my mind is a seagull in the Hollister logo.”
This was confirmed by Sabrina (26) who quoted: “I can see a flying seagull which the brand uses.” As the logo is a physical part of the brand, it is common that respondents recall the bird as the first association.
Significantly related to the flying bird (seagull) were associations of being free and freedom. The logo induces a carefree feeling according to Veronika’s answer (24):
“I imagine the bird that is gracefully flying above the sea without any limitations … it makes me feel free, so I think that I would describe a freedom of this brand by these words as well.” However, some respondents related the association “free” with colors that the brand uses. For instance, Sabrina (26) said: “… the brand has many different colors, so it seems to be free to me.” This can be interpreted that the Hollister brand is perceived as a free brand in terms of the design and style that its products have. Moreover, the large variety of colors also reflects the fact that the brand targets youths. Kateřina (23) explained the connection between colors and young people as: “I really like Hollister’s variation of colors. I like that they do not have only a simple one-colored t-shirt, but they are also very colorful. It is because they are especially for youths who do not wear just red or yellow t-shirt …”. Referring to an association that was mentioned by all five interviewees, the strongest word-relation were youths. Kateřina quoted:
“… I think it (Hollister) is for young because they do not care about suitable clothing in terms of formality.” This was encouraged by a similar opinion from Adam (30): “... it is a hipsters clothing for young people …” and Sabrina (26): “… the clothing has a funky youthful style.” The association, clothing for young, is explained by Jakub (28): “… it is a fashion for young … they need to let the brand be seen. I mean that some pieces have a big Hollister sign and logo on the t-shirt to be already seen from afar.” Jakub’s point about big signs was confirmed by Adam’s answer: “I always notice when someone wears a piece of clothing from Hollister because there is a big sign or a bird as a logo which is what the youths want.”
The further association highlighted by interviewees was stylish, trendy, or cool.
On one hand, they related stylish fashion to youths, for instance, Sabrina (26) quoted:
“They (Hollister) want to have a stylish fashion for youths.” Kateřina (23) added:
“The clothing is stylish … it follows trends. So, it is a fashion for youths.”
On the other hand, Sabrina (26) built on the previous thought: “I consider it as clothing for chilling at home, however, I look good. I mean it is not extra stylish, but I feel very comfortable in it and it looks swanky.” This detected another brand association which is “comfortable”. A similar opinion had Veronika (24): “I love the soft material and comfortable pieces of clothing. The bonus of it is that I feel chic.” Overall, the combination of stylish and comfortable pieces of clothing from the Hollister brand seems to be considered as added value for the respondents.
The next highly named association was “California” which is strongly related to other mentioned words: America, summer, and beach. Referring to America, each interviewee quoted that they started to be interested in the Hollister brand when they for the first time traveled to the USA. California is an association that takes a part in Hollister’s logo and it is referred as a Californian brand. Veronika (24) answered the question about the first thing that came to her mind: “… definitely California. It is included in a Hollister logo as well … It is a Californian brand and also the first moment when I become aware of the brand, I was in California.” This association was linked to others by Sabrina’s answers: “The brand describes California … that it is still warm there. They have summer clothing for a vacation. ... I imagine how I have a drink on a beach.” All these answers include associations California, summer, and beach.
However, also other respondents mentioned them, for instance, Veronika (24) quoted
“I always relate this brand with warm summer because in California has been always nice weather … In the evening, I wore a Hollister hoodie when I went to a beach with my friends.” In addition, Kateřina (23) expressed a relevance among these associations as well: “I imagine large displays with beaches that are in-stores …”.
From the answers, it is apparent that all associations are very closely related to each other, so it draws a complex brand image picture.
The second block of interview questions was based on supported associations.
There were chosen three associations: innovativeness, attractivity, and sporty brand that were mentioned by respondents in the questionnaire. However, the reason for direct questions about them was due to necessary explanation in terms of perception. Referring to innovativeness, the brand was considered by two interviewees as non-innovative.
Nevertheless, it was only because they had a lack of awareness about the brand which was probably caused by zero marketing communication in the Czech Republic. On the other hand, three respondents consider the brand as innovative. Adam (30) mentioned: “I think that the brand always comes with something new, for instance, they have a product line where the sign Hollister is shining when someone takes a picture of it with a flash.”
Sabrina (26) confirmed the innovativeness by: “… they have swimsuits which show some ornaments on fabric when you put it into the water… That was really cool.”
The second asked association was attractiveness by which all respondents agreed that the Hollister brand is attractive. Referring to this question, Veronika (24) answered:
“The brand is definitely attractive because it can attract young people not only by its uniqueness.” Similarly, Kateřina (23) said: I would say that the brand differs in comparison to others, so it is attractive.” The last questioned brand association was if the brand is considered as a sport brand. Based on findings from the questionnaire where 12% of respondents assigned to the Hollister brand an association of sporty brand, this question was included in the interview to get an explanation of it. However, each respondent said that he or she did not consider Hollister as a sporty brand.
For an explanation, Jakub (28) added “I do not see it as a sporty brand, however, it might be misled because in the Czech Republic Hollister clothing can be bought in-store only in some sports clothing shops, I think.” This information can be very helpful because all interviewed respondents have been in America where they for the first time got into a contact with the Hollister brand. However, if we consider Czech respondents who have never been to the USA, their first experience might be from a local sports shop where can be bought a few Hollister pieces of clothing. Thus, it can be summarized that the Hollister brand is innovative and attractive, nevertheless, it is not considered as a sporty brand.
Moving forward to questions that focus on the perception of the Hollister brand in terms of price and quality, the respondents had very complex answers. Referring to the price, all respondents agreed that the Hollister brand is very expensive in the Czech market. However, when they concerned American market, it is affordable. It confirmed Kateřina (23) by her answer: “I would say it is an expensive brand when I think about the Czech market. On the other hand, in the USA it is pretty cheap.” Thus, almost everybody said that they buy clothing from the Hollister brand only when they travel to America. In addition, everyone mentioned sales and other promotions such as five t-shirts for a price of four and so on that are typical for the Hollister brand.
With regard to sales, all respondents said that due to them the clothing is also more affordable. Adam (30) quoted “… I usually wait for sales which are typical for Hollister and then I buy a lot of stuff …”. The key role of sales was emphasized by Sabrina (26): “In the view of the fact that I buy clothing for chill, it is quite expensive, I rather wait for sales.” In addition, Veronika (24) supported the sales as well: “Referring to sales, it is quite an affordable brand …”. Overall, concerning the prices, it is apparent that the brand is seen as expensive on the Czech market, but affordable on the American market. When thinking about sales, then the Hollister brand is perceived as quite cheap.
Another part of this section was a quality perception which was divided into two groups according to a type of clothing. The first one was clothing considered as long-lasting and with a high quality. This is proved by Adam’s (30) statement: “I have a few t-shirts that are in great condition for many years.” The high-quality aspect was developed by Jakub (28): “I think that the quality refers to a premium brand such as Calvin Klein and so on … Sometimes it is even better.” This opinion was supported by Veronika’s answer: “The origin of the brand induces a feeling that the brand has high-quality products.” On the other hand, the second group of clothing is evaluated as lower quality. However, the lower quality is assigned only to a few pieces that the respondents have bought. Jakub said: “… the quality refers to a price that I pay, so I think that when I buy a cheap piece, I should also expect a lower quality.” Slight disconcerts about expected quality mentioned Kateřina (23): “I would expect as high quality as the mother brand of Hollister – Abercrombie & Fitch has. The price is slightly lower, but in my opinion, the quality is for some pieces significantly lower.”
She also described the problem: “I was surprised that some of their pieces do not have as high quality as I have thought. On the surface of some t-shirts appeared pills, even though I have not washed or worn them too often. … However, it varies piece by piece. I have also some tops that are still like a new.” When the respondents compared the price and the quality, they said that it had mostly matched the expected quality.
Moreover, Sabrina (26) said: “A life cycle of the products, so does the quality, matches to their prices. However, thinking about the sale prices, I am pleasantly surprised by the quality.” Overall, the quality of clothing is evaluated as high, especially, when it is bought in sales.
In the following part of the interview, the brand elements of the logo and shopping bags design were discussed. The respondents expressed their opinions and thoughts about the logo by answering a question about how much they like it. Everyone evaluated
a seagull as a perfect idea, for instance, Kateřina (23) quoted: “I simply like the logo … I think that the symbol of a seagull describes the best that it is a Californian brand and its beach vibes.” On the other hand, a Hollister sign reached a little bit different point of view. Jakub (28) positively highlighted it by a statement: “…I really like the font of Hollister sign as well.” However, most of the respondents agreed that sometimes the sign is over-large. Adam (30) stated: “Sometimes it looks too much for me when there is the sign over a whole t-shirt.” Jakub (28) supported this statement: “The Hollister sign is sometimes too much … meaning too big or it is overstuffed.” Nevertheless, Jakub (28)
a seagull as a perfect idea, for instance, Kateřina (23) quoted: “I simply like the logo … I think that the symbol of a seagull describes the best that it is a Californian brand and its beach vibes.” On the other hand, a Hollister sign reached a little bit different point of view. Jakub (28) positively highlighted it by a statement: “…I really like the font of Hollister sign as well.” However, most of the respondents agreed that sometimes the sign is over-large. Adam (30) stated: “Sometimes it looks too much for me when there is the sign over a whole t-shirt.” Jakub (28) supported this statement: “The Hollister sign is sometimes too much … meaning too big or it is overstuffed.” Nevertheless, Jakub (28)