Free Association

To better understand Hang Ten's current position in consumers' minds and to uncover some preconceived notions about the brand, we engaged eight individuals aged 21 to 30 in an in-depth interview to uncover their deep-seated impressions and motivations about the brand.

We used three main techniques- Free Association, Brand Personality and Laddering. Although the interview methods differed, one thing was common: Hang Ten held similar positions in most of our respondents minds... but this perception was not a very positive one!

Free Association

Free association is a simple technique used to identify a range of possible brand associations a customers has when they think about a brand. The two main question we asked to elicit free association are:

" What do you think of when you hear the brand name Hang Ten?"

" What would you associate Hang Ten products with?"

The network of associations derived are depicted below. Words that are bigger and bolder were mentioned in higher frequency. 

Cheap, Boring & Unfashionable

The most frequently mentioned words associated with Hang Ten were "cheap", "boring" and "unfashionable". These associations carry negative connotations leading us to believe that customers overall do not have a positive evaluation of the Hang Ten brand. Many of their initial negative associations lead to even more negative associations resulting in why most respondents do not consider Hang Ten as a first choice in casual wear.

"Unfashionable" was not only mentioned in great frequency, but it was one of the first associations that many respondents had when asked about the brand. This indicates the relative strength of association of Hang Ten being an "unfashionable" brand. This poses a hard perception to change as in the laddering technique later used, we see how fashion and trendiness are very important considerations when selecting apparel.

Design

One of the recurring themes in the words associated with Hang Ten was design. The type of associations falling under design include "ugly", "outdated", "common", "square" and "low class".  All of which imply Hang Ten apparel as being aesthetically unappealing. The use of the word "common" and "boring" conveyed to us that people are not keen to look like one another. They are all looking for ways to diversify their look.

As a result, Hang Ten's approach in providing coloured polo-tees of the same pattern but different colours, although practical, is not well-received because no one wants to buy the same garment of the same design in ten different colours. Thus, there is a need for Hang Ten to diversify their product offerings.

Brand Personality

We next asked respondents to imagine if Hang Ten became a real person. Following this, we asked what Hang Ten's personality would be like? We did little probing unless they stopped talking. This was to ensure as much free flow as possible. Some probing questions were: Close to family? Favourite hobby? Like to go parties? What kind of job? Favourite sport? and many more. 

With these responses, we formulated an identity and decided to showcase it through the usage of Facebook. Please click the image below for the personality of Hang Ten. 

Laddering

Laddering

Through laddering, we explored some of the underlying motivations customers have when they purchase apparel. One of the main insights gained was with regards to clothes not simply being clothes but an expression of identity. This is similar to what we understood from the free association techniques but the insights delved deeper into the customer's feelings and judgment about Hang Ten.

"Clothes help me make a statement"

The common sentiment shared by our respondents was that clothes represented an important expression of their identity. They believe that clothing has come a long way from being just a need to protect one's modesty. For the younger generation, clothing is essential as it determines if one is part of the "in group" or "out group". As a result, design and trendiness is of upmost importance. Affordability and quality is often a bonus. Hence, we use Marslows Hierarchy of Needs to contextualize our findings.

After the laddering exercise, we realised that respondents see Hang Ten as fulfilling the two most basic Marslows needs; physiological and safety and security needs. This is because what respondents defined as Hang Ten's biggest value proposition is "value for money" clothing. When asked why they felt that way, they explained that the frequent sales promotions at Hang Ten outlets "cheapened" the clothing and made it unappealing.

Bearing in mind that Singapore is a relatively price-conscious society, we asked respondents if "value for money" is sufficient to make them a heavy or moderate user of Hang Ten but many were quick to say no. A few explained that having affordable clothing is good but they do not mind spending a bit more to get clothing that suits their personality and individual styles.


 Hang Ten, they felt, was too generic and they would not feel special wearing the design and so spending money on Hang Ten, even if it may be a sale, would not be worth it as they don't see themselves using the clothes often.

Hang Ten too casual for casual occasions

In the interview many agreed that Hang Ten falls under the casual clothing brand. So we asked respondents what kind of "casual occasions" do they see themselves wearing Hang Ten. Some of the responses were to the market, to bed, to the beach and maybe to get a quick bite from under the a hawker center.

When asked if they would wear it out to other casual events like shopping to school, casual Fridays at work or a friends birthday lunch, we received mixed responses. However, from the body language and hesitation in some of their responses, it is unlikely that they would deliberately buy a Hang Ten top to wear to these occasions. They felt it was too casual and lacked personality. 


When probed further as to why, since it is just a casual outing after all, some said that the clothes are not a good fit and that they can get something better for a cheaper price. Others changed their mind and said they may wear Hang Ten if it was convenient to find but these responses may be likely due to social desirability.

Hang Ten an "Aunty" brand

In the midst of the probing questions, we managed to elicit some responses as to who the respondents felt Hang Ten may be targeting. Many were believed that Hang Ten was not targeting them, but "Aunties" who were looking for a cheap buy, for children whose parents buy their clothes for them and for festive events like National Day. 


A few admitted that they buy Hang Ten Singapore-themed shirts due to its simple, understated designs. Since many of our respondents felt they did not fall into the target market, they thought it was alright that they were not fond of the Hang Ten brand. They were, however, sure that the "masses" and "heartlanders" who were less conscious of their appearance, liked the brand a fair bit.

Disconnect between brand positioning and customer perception

Laddering has led to interesting discoveries as it paints a very different image of Hang Ten as compared to the brands original positioning. The Hang Ten brand is actually positioned as a youthful brand. Their posters tell us that they aim to be trendy, fashionable and fun. Also, the "value for money" image is not necessarily true. 


Although Hang Ten has a number of sales, the clothing average SGD 35.90 for tops and SGD 59.90 for bottoms, making them comparable in price to other casual clothing brands like Giordano and Cotton On. It is thus interesting that respondents consider Hang Ten a "cheap" brand but Giordano and Cotton On as casual-cool.

Armed with these exploratory research findings and understanding, we proceeded to create a quantitative survey.