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On-line Media Kit |
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On-line Media Kit |
Overview What is Grand Style What is GrandStyle.com Club Room Descriptions Contacting Grand Style
Press Information Grand Style Affiliations Grand Style Reviews Press Releases
Advertiser Information Advertiser Selection Criteria Advertising Rate Card Production Specifications |
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What is Grand Style |
According to California Apparel News, over 50% of U.S. women wear size 14 or larger, with over 30% wearing a size 16 and above.1 · But, although they are a large portion of the population, these plus-size women only account for about 25% of women's apparel sales.2 · This low per capital spending is the dramatic result of the limited availability of larger size garments, combined with the plus-size woman's hesitation to spend money on herself. The apparel needs of the size 14+ woman are basically the same as those of the smaller size woman. She wants convenient access to apparel necessities, quality product at a fair price, information about her style and lifestyle interests and self-esteeming service. However, these needs are not being met in today's retail environment. Grand Style is an interactive, fashion merchandising and marketing service with products and services designed to give a size 14+ woman access to a wide selection of apparel and accessories, the informative, positive, self-esteeming, style-oriented information she needs to make an informed buying decision and the convenience of at home shopping. The Grand Style electronic marketplace provides the larger-sized woman with an unparalleled availability of fashionable, high-quality merchandise at moderate prices, beauty and style advice oriented towards the larger woman, all conveniently available with private, personal service -- four purchase factors that have never been available simultaneously to the size 14+ woman. Grand Style provides suppliers of apparel, shoes, accessories and jewelry as well as publishers of size 14+ lifestyle information with the opportunity to distribute directly to the size 14+ woman at home or at her office. Suppliers have the option to merchandise styles, colors and sizes which they do not inventory through traditional retail stores as well as the opportunity to broaden their merchandise selection without increasing their inventory expense. |
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GrandStyle.com is a virtual women's club located on the Internet at the domain address of www.GrandStyle.com. Common to the most exclusive women's clubs throughout the world, the GrandStyle.com is designed to give a woman a comfortable environment in which she can find the rest and relaxation she seeks to counteract her busy day-to-day life, the information she needs to make the decisions she has to make, and the non-judgmental commrodery she looks for to build her self-esteem. GrandStyle.com includes a reception area, lounge, boutique, bookstore, spa, library, café and music room. Through a combination of original and repurposed content, the size 14+ woman has access to: ... style tips and ideas, fashions and accessories designed for plus size women. Plus-size suppliers are featured in several area throughout the site including the Grand Mall, providing the GrandStyle.com woman with a convenient and private way to locate, evaluate, and purchase high-quality, fashionable, mid-priced merchandise. ... timely and informative fashion and lifestyle tips from plus size style consultants, authors and experts. ... fitness and health ideas, personal style consultations and emotional wellness tips from plus size authors and experts. ... message bulletin board for the exchange of fashion, lifestyle and self-esteem building tips. ... timesaving, convenient lifestyle-building tools including discounted books, videos and music. |
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Club Room Descriptions |
GrandStyle.com includes a: · reception area. After leaving the home page, women can enter GrandStyle.com through an elegant reception area where they can "sign-in" by entering their name and address in a monthly drawing for a style-oriented premium. · lounge. By reading mini-articles targeted at size 14+ women, women can listen in on "conversations" with a variety of plus size experts providing fashion, beauty and style tips, personal style consultations, size acceptance tips and specialized lifestyle information. · boutique. Women have an opportunity to shop in the Grand Mall for plus size apparel, accessories, shoes, lifestyle-oriented products and services from sensitive, quality retailers without the retail store pressures of limited selection, poor service, high prices or lack of parking. Discounted books, music and tapes are offered in the Grand Style Bookstore. · spa. Members can read information and get tips on a wide variety of fitness, health and emotional wellness subjects by plus size fitness experts and size acceptance therapists. · library. The library in GrandStyle.com is the area to search a wide variety of information sources for the plus size woman including travel tips, fitness resources, medical resources, plus size maternity information, "transcripts" of prior GrandStyle.com lounge "conversations" and links to other web sites. · café. Women can share information, enjoy snacks for the spirit (quotes from style and self-esteem gurus), get fun recipe ideas and post questions and answers on the bulletin board. · music room. The music room honors a plus size woman who has made major contributions to the music world. The musician's biography is included in the music room. |
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Contacting |
849 E. Stanley Blvd., Suite 227 (866) 636-2547 FAX
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Target Market |
The Size of the Plus Size Market Over 60% of American women wear a size 14 or larger; yet, this larger-sized buyer only contributes about $21 billion (25%) of the $84 billion women's apparel market.3 The size 14+ woman spends less than the smaller woman because she: · is unable to locate apparel in size 14+ to purchase. · has only a minimal size and style selection from which to choose. · is unwilling to frequent retailers specializing in large size apparel. · is unable to shop at retailers specializing in large size apparel. · has a limited wardrobe by choice. · has a lack of knowledge regarding what apparel to purchase. · has a preference for home or dressmaker sewn apparel. · wears men's apparel. Based on recent growth in market size, as many as 56% of US women now wear size 16+ due to the aging of the baby boomer population, women's new reluctance to diet fads, the growing acceptance of women with larger bodies and increasing self-esteem among larger-sized women. What the Market Wants Selection continues to be a primary issue with the plus-size, size 14+ customer. She: · wants fashionable clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry including basic items such as rings, watches and belts which have been unavailable for her to purchase. · is more concerned about size availability than price. · is often the missy customer of yesterday. · does not want to be "singled-out" due to her dress, shoe or ring size. · needs special garment sizing and has special design requirements. · wants wide access to quality merchandise at moderate prices. · looks to her apparel to improve her self-esteem. · wants to avoid in-store shopping. Wants privacy in size selection. Limited sizes or selection just lead to frustration or embarrassment. Lack of size consistency between manufacturers results in a time-consuming purchase decision. Remote in-store locations provide a "second class citizen" feeling for buyers. A 1996 survey of plus size women by Kurt Salmon Associates, through the NPD market research group, showed the severity of the dissatisfaction held by plus size women regarding their apparel choices:4 · 57% of plus-size women said they had difficulty in finding stores that carry their size. · 84% of those polled said that they feel there are less-fashionable items and selection · in their size compared to other sizes. · 70% of plus-size women felt their choice of brand names was too limited. Retail availability is growing in the urban, high-populated areas; however, most larger-size women still continue to be faced with minimal apparel selections, shortage of time, information needs and dissatisfaction with retailers. Even with the dissatisfaction of the size 14+ woman with the plus size retailers, the increasing size of women has resulted in a faster growth in the plus size market versus the women's apparel market. In 1995, there was a 6% increase in the size 14+ market compared to only a 1% increase in the overall women's market. In 1996, the size 14+ market grew another 6.1% versus only a 5.0% growth in the women's apparel market5 |
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Grand Style Affiliations |
Formal affiliations have been established with over 55 plus size retailer and Amazon.com. Highlights are as follows: Retailer Affiliations have been developed with 55+ retailers through third party pay-for-performance networks. Retailers are selected based on the selection of garments offered to the size 14+ woman, the quality of their products, the positive attitude of their order entry and customer service personnel, the retailer's willingness to offer customized promotion offers to the GrandStyle.com customer. Amazon.com, the Internet's largest discount book, music, tape, electronics and lifestyle products store, provides club members with up to 40% discounts on items selected from the GrandStyle.com Bookstore. |
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Grand Style Reviews |
| "Enjoyable format,
refreshing perspective, informative, interesting, and supportive. GrandStyle.com
offers an abundance of resources to women all sizes of large."
Cheri K. Erdman Ed.D., educator, lecturer and author of Nothing to
Lose: A Guide to Sane Living in a Larger Body and Live Large. "Grandstyle is what every plus-size woman is looking for: Real talk on real subjects that really matter--in a really fun, friendly format. Grandstyle to me is support in several forms from women who have been in similar situations and learned valuable lessons they can share, or from experts who know the "real deal". Whether I am looking to learn something new, get a resource, find out what's new and what's important (and what's not), buy something worth having, feel connected to "women like me", or just have some fun, I find Grandstyle a welcome place. Grandstyle is My style." Suzan Nanfeldt, a leading consultant in plus-size fashion and author of Plus Style: The Plus-Size Guide To Looking Great. "I am so excited about this web site!! It is time that large sizes are able to buy stylish clothes! I am a former model and even though I am large - I still want to be pretty. Thanks!!" AOL member. "Amazon.com is pleased to have GrandStyle.com in the family of Amazon.com associates. We encourage you to visit GrandStyle.com often to see what new books they've selected for you." Jeff Bezos, President, Amazon.com Books. "This is a very excellent and informative site. You are to be complimented for a terrific job." Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, Owner of ShardCo, publisher of Dimensions Magazine and BBW Magazine. "I have always believed in Real World healthy and self acceptance, no matter what size our hips are! GrandStyle.com gives us excellent tools to do both!" JoAnna M. Lund, cookbook author, TV host, newsletter publisher. "Wow! I almost cried when I happened upon your web site! Finally a site that gives me needed information, like fat-friendly airlines! Thanks for your help. I'll be bookmarking your site for sure!" K. Myers, PA. "Looks terrific! Well done!" Sharon Curtis, size acceptance Frequently Asked Questions web site compiler. |
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Press Releases |
June 10, 1997
LIVERMORE, CA - June 10, 1997 - Marketing Fundamentals announced the launch today of GrandStyle.com, the first virtual women's club designed to offer lifestyle information for the size 14+ woman. This interactive web site celebrates the almost 50% of US women who are size 14+ and gives them access to style and lifestyle information as well as fashions, products and services often only available to smaller size women. The virtual women's club atmosphere provides a beautiful, elegant, safe, positive atmosphere encompassing a series of club rooms which can be accessed from the site's home page. Nearly 50% of U.S. women wear size 14 or larger;6 but, larger women, only spend about half as much as smaller size women. As a result, these 50% of women only account for about 25% of women's apparel sales.7 This is due in great part to the limited availability of larger size garments VIRTUAL WOMEN'S CLUB WEB SITE LAUNCHED FOR PLUS SIZE WOMEN, Page 2 to purchase. Additionally, plus-size women have not been given the style and fashion information or wardrobe-building tips that are regularly available to smaller women. Suzan Nanfeldt, a leading consultant in plus-size fashion and author of the new book Plus Style comments that "Grandstyle is what every plus-size woman is looking for: Real talk on real subjects that really matter--in a really fun, friendly format. Grandstyle to me is support in several forms from women who have been in similar situations and learned valuable lessons they can share, or from experts who know the `real deal'."
Susan Weber, President of Marketing Fundamentals and creator of the GrandStyle.com web site, states, "As a plus size woman, I have searched for resources and information that answer basic fashion and lifestyle questions like where can I buy plus size fitness clothes and what airlines or cars have the widest seats. We developed GrandStyle.com to give women like me a self-esteeming, private place where they can learn from fashion and lifestyle experts, shop for hard-to-find clothing, accessories and products and have access to lifestyle-building tools and information."
GrandStyle.com includes a reception area, lounge, boutique, book store, spa, library, café and music room and provides multiple links between GrandStyle.com and the online sites of BBW Magazine and America Online. No membership is required to enjoy the site, although Weber says "we consider any woman who comes to our site as a member of our women's club."
GrandStyle.com includes a : · reception area. After leaving the home page, "members" can enter GrandStyle.com web site through an elegant reception area where they can "sign-in" by entering their name and address in a drawing for a style-oriented premium and where they can access an interactive, network-building email address locator.
VIRTUAL WOMEN'S CLUB WEB SITE LAUNCHED FOR PLUS SIZE WOMEN, Page 3 · lounge. By reading mini-articles targeted at size 14+ women, members can listen in on "conversations" with a variety of plus size experts providing fashion, beauty and style tips, personal style consultations, size acceptance tips and specialized lifestyle information. · boutique. Members will have the opportunity to privately locate, evaluate and purchase high-quality, fashionable, mid-priced plus size apparel, accessories, shoes, lifestyle-oriented products and services from sensitive, quality retailers without the retail pressures of limited selection, poor service, high prices or lack of parking. Discounted books and tapes are offered in the Grand Style Bookstore through a strategic alliance with amazon.com, the Internet's largest bookstore. · spa. Members can read information and get tips on a wide variety of fitness, health and emotional wellness subjects by plus size fitness experts and size acceptance therapists. · library. The library in GrandStyle.com is the area to search a wide variety of information sources for the plus size woman including travel tips, fitness equipment resources, plus size maternity information, "transcripts" of prior GrandStyle.com lounge "conversations" and links to other Internet web sites. · café. Members can overhear nearby conversations (questions and answers), enjoy snacks for the spirit (quotes from style and self-esteem experts), get entertainment ideas, locate email addresses using an interactive a network-building email finder, send email to the club experts and post questions and answers on the bulletin board to exchange fashion, lifestyle and self-esteem building tips. · music room. The music room honors a plus size woman who has made major contributions to the music world. The musician's biography and an audio track representative of her work are included in the music room. Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul and Mary, agreed to be the first featured musician.
In addition to the amazon.com alliance, strategic alliances have also been established with America Online, Fairchild Publications and BBW Magazine. · America Online (AOL) provides an ongoing, direct link to GrandStyle.com as part of their Style Channel co-venture with Fairchild Publications, publisher of the daily fashion industry bible, Women's Wear Daily and the monthly W Magazine. VIRTUAL WOMEN'S CLUB WEB SITE LAUNCHED FOR PLUS SIZE WOMEN, Page 4 · Fairchild Publications has an on-going relationship with Susan L. Weber, the founder of Grand Style, as their Plus Size Consultant for the AOL Style Channel. Ms. Weber provides one-on-one emergency style aid to AOL members, participates in weekly chat rooms and develops editorial content and fashion tips for the size 14+ woman. · BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) Magazine has selected GrandStyle.com as part of their BBW Community, a strategic alliance of web sites which market to the plus size woman. BBW features GrandStyle.com as a direct link from the bbwonline.com web site and also provides specialized content and features to a GrandStyle.com visitor.
GrandStyle.com gives specially retailers a targeted sales atmosphere to help them increase visibility to this market and generate new customers without having to add physical sales locations or mail additional catalogs. Banner advertising is available for purchase and is available through an alliance with womenswire.com. A classified ad program is also available to provide a low cost showcase for smaller retailers with hard-to-find products and services to present their offerings to the GrandStyle.com visitor.
GrandStyle.com is the first in a series of interactive Grand Style
shopping venues to be introduced by Marketing Fundamentals, a Livermore,
California-based, privately-owned marketing company. Since 1989, Marketing
Fundamentals has been a leader in cost-effective program development
for consumer good and technology companies. With the introduction of
the Grand Style shopping system, Marketing Fundamentals combines the
"direct to the customer" convenience aspects of direct
response with the information power of books, magazines and television
and the excitement of the in-store retail environment. The Grand
Style trademark and copy are Federally-protected. |
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Advertiser |
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The GrandStyle.com was designed to provide size 14+ women with access to information, fashions, products and services which have not always been available to the larger woman. In providing this access, GrandStyle.com strives for excellence excellence in editorial content, excellence in design, excellence in retailer selection and excellence in advertiser selection. The subjects, authors and sources of GrandStyle.com content are selected to provide the highest quality of information for members. We have established exceptionally high editorial standards and strive to provide information that is timely, useful, but most of all, non-judgmental. Part of providing this non-judgmental support is to select our content, retailers and advertisers based on their ability to meet the needs of the Grand Style woman and to help her build and enhance her self-esteem, regardless of her size or her lifestyle. GrandStyle.com accepts a wide variety of advertisements and sponsorships. However, as part of our commitment to our members that we will remain non-judgmental, we do not accept editorial content or ads for services or products that promote weight loss or dieting. |
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Notes |
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Rate Card 3 Effective January 1, 2003 Monthly Ad Deadline |
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Production Specifications |
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Ad Size Index Page Ad 88 x 31 pixels (max file
size 2K)
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