Marketing Mix of Burberry and 4Ps (Updated 2023)

The Marketing mix of Burberry analyses the 4Ps of Burberry, including the Product, Price, Place, and Promotions. Burberry is a famous fashion house highlighting British lineage and heritage. This public company deals with fashionable and luxurious items like accessories, clothing, sunglasses, fragrances, and cosmetics. Burberry was founded in the year 1856 by Thomas Burberry in Hampshire, England and has its headquarters in London. The brand name of Burberry is associated with class and style, and it has the distinction of being awarded “Royal Warrants” by Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales. It comes under the 100 most trusted brands in the world. Some of its competitors are as follows.

• Gucci
• Dior
• Chanel
• Louis Vuitton
• Caroll

About Burberry

• Type: Luxury fashion house
• Industry: Fashion
• Founded: 1856
• Founder: Thomas Burberry
• Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
• Area served: Worldwide
• Current CEO: Jonathan Akeroyd
• Number of employees: 10,500
• Major products: Ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, and fragrances

Burberry Product Strategy

Burberry specializes in fashionable clothes appreciated worldwide because of exceptional quality, distinctive designs, and exquisite materials. Its Tartan pattern is unique in its design and is associated with Burberry. The trench coat that the founder himself designed is still its bestselling item. The brand is known for its innovative thinking, as in 1880, it introduced “Gabardine,” a water-resistant and breathable fabric. The product’s quality, durability, and intricate designs make Burberry the best product in the international market.

Burberry collections include Burberry London, Burberry Prorsum, Burberry Golf, Timepieces, children’s wear, and cosmetics. The fragrance collection includes Burberry, Burberry Touch, Burberry Weekend, Burberry London, and Burberry Brit. Nearly 20% of the sales and revenues depend on Menswear, whereas the majority is concentrated on omens. Special attention has been given to fabrics and details. The accessories include leather goods like bags for women and wallets for men. Women’s wear is their main section, as half of the revenues are generated. The outerwear for children is equally popular amongst the customers.

Burberry, the renowned British luxury fashion brand, offers a diverse product mix that caters to various customer needs and preferences.

The new Product Mix of Burberry in 2023 is as follows (Source).

1. Apparel: Burberry is famous for its high-quality outerwear, especially its iconic trench coats. The brand also offers various other clothing items for men, women, and children, such as dresses, shirts, trousers, and knitwear.
2. Accessories: Accessories form a significant part of Burberry’s product mix. This category includes scarves (with the famous Burberry check pattern), bags, wallets, belts, and sunglasses.
3. Footwear: The brand offers an assortment of footwear, including boots, sandals, sneakers, and formal shoes for both men and women.
4. Fragrances and Beauty Products: Burberry has developed a line of fragrances for men and women. Additionally, they offer a range of beauty products like makeup and skincare items.
5. Watches and Jewelry: While not as core to the brand as apparel and accessories, Burberry also markets a selection of luxury watches and jewelry.

Each luxury brand in these categories features a blend of classic styles that embody the brand’s heritage and modern designs that reflect contemporary fashion trends. Burberry is known for its distinctive check pattern, high-quality materials, and craftsmanship, evident across all its product categories.

Burberry Place Strategy

Burberry stores are in at least five hundred locations worldwide in fifty countries. The products are sold through global franchises, branded stores, and third-party dealers. Their motto is “One Brand, One Company’ and they have effectively utilized their brand assets by coordinating all their stores with efficient and latest available technology. The locations of the stores are significant for Burberry marketing, and influential and prominent areas are chosen so that premium customers can easily frequent them.

Burberry products are also displayed at many premium departmental stores and outlets. The boutique and outlets are very few, so the company has ties with various online organizations. Some famous online shopping sites have the license to sell the products. The Burberry brand has its official website where all the products are displayed and detailed information is provided. Interested customers can place their orders that are dispatched at the earliest. The distribution channel is fast and efficient so that no mistakes are made.

Here’s the place strategy of Burberry’s marketing strategy.

1. Global Retail Stores: Burberry operates a network of flagship stores in major cities worldwide, such as London, New York, and Paris. These stores are often located in high-end shopping districts, showcasing the brand’s luxury status and making it accessible to affluent consumers.
2. Online Presence: The company has a solid online presence with an e-commerce platform, allowing customers to purchase products directly from their website. This strategy caters to the growing trend of online shopping and reaches a global audience beyond physical store locations.
3. Selective Wholesale Distribution: Burberry employs a selective wholesale distribution strategy, partnering with high-end department stores and specialty retailers. This approach ensures brand alignment with retailers that uphold similar standards of quality and prestige.
4. Strategic Store Experience: The brand focuses on providing a unique and high-quality in-store experience. This includes sophisticated store designs, personalized customer service, and technology to enhance the shopping experience, reinforcing the brand’s luxury appeal.
5. Market Diversification: Burberry actively seeks to expand its market reach, not only in established markets like Europe and the US but also in emerging markets such as China and India. This diversification strategy helps reduce dependency on any single market and capitalizes on these regions’ growing luxury consumer base.

Burberry Pricing Strategy

As all the products are luxurious items with excellent craftsmanship and innovative designs, the pricing has to be premium because they cater to a high-class elite zone where money does not matter. What matters is that the quality cannot be compromised at any cost. The pricing policy and brand strategy of the brand is dependent on many factors. Burberry is both a luxury brand and a global company. Hence, its prices have to be consistent worldwide everywhere because price discrimination will dilute its brand image. The global marketing team of Burberry is responsible for the pricing strategies after heavily evaluating the product demand, market research, and competitor’s prices.

Burberry’s pricing strategy reflects its positioning as a luxury brand and is a key component of its overall marketing approach. Several elements characterize this price strategy:

1. Premium Pricing: Burberry adopts a premium pricing strategy, setting prices higher than average market rates. This approach reflects the high quality and exclusivity of its products and helps maintain the brand’s luxurious image and appeal to affluent consumers.
2. Perceived Value Pricing: The brand’s pricing is deeply aligned with the perceived value of its products. Burberry invests significantly in design, quality, and branding, which justifies the premium price in the eyes of consumers. This perceived value is essential in making the price point acceptable to their target market.
3. Dynamic Pricing: Burberry occasionally adjusts prices in response to market conditions, currency fluctuations, and competitive dynamics. This flexibility ensures the brand remains competitive and profitable across different markets.
4. Selective Discounting: The brand rarely discounts its products, as frequent sales can dilute its premium image. When discounts are offered, they are typically selective, limited in scope, and strategically timed, often through controlled channels like outlet stores or during special events.
5. Geographical Pricing Strategy: Burberry’s pricing may vary by region to reflect local market conditions and purchasing power. This approach ensures that the brand remains accessible to its target demographic in different countries while accounting for economic factors and consumer behavior variations.

Overall, Burberry’s pricing and marketing strategy is a delicate balance between maintaining its luxury status, ensuring customer perceived value, and adapting to global market dynamics, which are crucial for sustaining its premium brand identity.

Burberry Promotion Strategy

Promotional activities have always been a core part of Burberry. In 1911, they outfitted Roald Amundsen, the first individual to reach the South Pole, and later, they outfitted Ernest Shackleton and George Mallory. Since earlier times, particular emphasis has been given to promotional activities. High-class magazines have been selected so that ads can be placed, and the visual and social media sites have been utilized to launch and highlight their products.

In the newest ad campaign, “Romeo Beckham’ has been signed again for the Festive campaign of luxury brand Burberry. This is a massive scoop for the company, and sales have already started climbing. Last year, Romeo Beckham, then years old, was featured in the Burberry ads with British models Charlotte Wiggins, Edie Campbell, Alex Dunstan, Cara Delevinge, and Max Rendell.

The famous photographer Mario Testino photographed the Spring/summer Burberry collection. Earlier, some famous models for the Burberry promotions are Felicity Jones and Callum Turner, the British actors, and the models Jake Cooper and Jourdan Dunn. The famous teenage actress Emma Watson has also participated in Burberry collections marketing campaigns. The promotions have resulted in giving the brand name a global platform.

Some Recent Video ads and Print ads for Burberry are:

Liked this post? Check out the complete series on Marketing Mix