FINDINGS

a. fender's social media usage by channel

1. FACEBOOK

•  Facebook is mainly used as a way to promote the company's products.
•  This link is to the first example of a post by the company promoting a product.
•  This link is to the second example of a post by the company promoting a product.
•  This link is to the third example of a post by the company promoting a product.

2. TWITTER

•  Twitter is mainly used to advertise the company's events and happenings.
•  This link is to the first example of a post by the company advertising a company event/happening.
•  This link is to the first example of a post by the company advertising a company event/happening.
•  This link is to the first example of a post by the company advertising a company event/happening.

3. INSTAGRAM

•  Instagram is mainly used to depict the company's key products (guitars, amps, and pedals).
•  This link is to the first example of a post by the company depicting a key product.
•  This link is to the first example of a post by the company depicting a key product.
•  This link is to the first example of a post by the company depicting a key product.

4. SNAPCHAT

• Fender no longer uses Snapchat.

5. YOUTUBE

•  YouTube is mainly used for product demos and how-to videos.
•  This link is to the first example of a product demo posted by the company.
•  This link is the second example of a product demo posted by the company.
•  This link is to the first example of a how-to video posted by the company.
•  This link is to the second example of a how-to video posted by the company.

6. PINTEREST

•  Pinterest is mainly used to show product collections, such as certain guitar series like Stratocaster.
•  This link is to the first example of a product collection posted by the company.
•  This link is to the second example of product collection posted by the company.
•  This link is to the third example of a product collection posted by the company.

7. FACEBOOK FENDER PLAY COMMUNITY

• We were unable to review the content on the Facebook Fender Play Community page, as it''s restricted as "a group for Fender Play subscribers only."

b. history of fender

• Fender's origins date back to 1938 when Leo Fender opened Fender's Repair Service, which crafted musical instruments and public address systems.
•  In 1946, he renamed the company Fender Electric Instruments Company.
• By just 1949, the amps and guitars his company made had become "firmly established in the music industry."
• As of 1959, over 100 employees worked for Fender.
• In 1965, Columbia Records Distribution Corporation, which was a Columbia Broadcasting Systems' (CBS) subsidiary, acquired Fender for a total price of $13 million.
• In 1985, CBS sold Fender to a group that included William Schultz who was the "first modern-era CEO" of Fender and, as a result of the sale, the company was renamed Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.
•  In 1991, Fender relocated its headquarters to Arizona from California.
• In 1998, the company build a brand-new, large-scale production facility in California which is now able to build 350 guitars on a daily basis.
• In 2014, Fender sold Guild Guitar Company, which it had acquired in 1995.

YOUR RESEARCH TEAM APPLIED THE FOLLOWING STRATEGY:

Article 1

• Name: Next up at SXSW.  
• Date: March 8, 2019 .
• Category: Marketing.
• Summary: Fender, an iconic guitar brand, launched a new artist development program (event-driven) in Austin during the SXSW as part of its marketing efforts and brand awareness strategy.

Article 2

• Name: Fender’s acoustic-electric hybrid is a technological wonder.
• Date: January 22, 2019.
• Category: Digital innovation.
• Summary: Fender developed the acoustic-electric hybrid ‘Acoustasonic Telecaster’ that utilizes the DSP (digital sound processor) for the ‘Acoustic Engine’ for the best-desired sound.

Article 3

• Name: Fender Opens Online E-Commerce Store
• Date: January 9, 2019 .
• Category: E-commerce  
• Summary: Fender opened online e-commerce to enable purchases direct to the Chinese market, using Alibaba and Tmall for its directly to consumer platforms.

Article 4

• Name: Fender Play is an excellent guitar tutor for people with social anxiety.
• Date: May 31, 2019.
• Category: Digital innovation.  
• Summary: Fender introduced the Fender Play (digital product), a guitar tutor app for people with social anxiety.

Article 5

• Name: Fender tunes in to gender to drive sales
• Date: January 30, 2019.  
• Category: Marketing  
• Summary: The article highlights the fact that women are more into guitars, according to research, and the Fender brand is shifting its marketing efforts to take advantage of the segment.

Brand Strategy

• According to Fender’s VP of Digital Brand Marketing, Media and Communications B.J. Carretta, part of the brand’s strategy is to deal in amazing products and engage the best product team in the world across categories.
• Secondly, the company applies real data to inform its decisions around digital innovations, marketing, and product offerings.
• For instance, the company recently conducted a study that shows that women make up to half of the new guitarists. From the findings, the company is redesigning its efforts to target the women to drive sales.
• Thirdly, the company ensures the alignment of goals along the lines of media, communications, social, grassroots, and content. Also, the company ensures that all campaign facets are connected.

Areas of Growth

• The company is seeking to grow in the digital space, taking advantage of the opportunities in e-commerce to expand into markets previously unexplored. For instance, the company recently opened an online e-commerce platform to take advantage of the Chinese market.
• Fender is exploring growth opportunities in targeting women as a promising segment in the market to drive sales. A recent study found that about half of the new guitarists are women.
• The digital space is also an area of growth that Fender is looking into. From digital marketing (through social media) to digital products (such as Fender Play), Fender looks to maximize the promise of digital innovation.

Research Strategy