Fashion Marketing Strategies, Research and Frameworks

Fashion marketing strategies, research and frameworks 

Connecting with consumer: key points

• ·      Brands out of touch with consumer needs
• ·      Not in touch with current generational perspectives e.g. curvy, trans, cultural
• ·      Slow adoption of sustainable issues
• ·      Brands who have historically done well with innovative advertising and marketing and then then dropped the ball (Abercrombie and Fitch)
• ·      Old school attitudes towards luxury for high end brands (D&G) struggling to connect with new generations.

How do consumers consume and connect with brands?

• ·      Advertising strategies
• ·      Understanding their demographic
• ·      Understanding emerging demographics
• ·      Keeping and increasing footfall
• ·      Understanding changing and emerging trends in consumption
• ·      E.g. diversity, ethics, social responsibility

Physical and digital branding advertising strategies

• ·      John Lewis was the physical brand discussed
• ·      Fast fashion online retailers: digital advertising resource via online, digital bill boarding, taxis and so on
• ·      Brands that rely on word of mouth as well as all of the above; for example Patagonia and People Tree
• ·      There are also brands that historically have no advertised heavily e.g. Body Shop – connection to the product and what it stood for at the time

Much has to do with visual communication

• ·      The forums that demographics now link with
• ·      What draws a consumer in and why
• ·      What are the connectors?
• ·      Connection to visual information e.g. short films/teaser campaigns – countdown for product or launch – engages people

Boohoo.com – cross sectional advertising

People Tree – simple ad campaigns, natural setting, people looking happy and relaxed – gives an idea of the kind of person who buys their products

Patagonia -  visual

Abstract methods of advertising

• ·      Celebs e.g. Kim K, Rihanna collaborations
• ·      Guerrilla – getting brand into public domain, pop ups, graffiti, much more connected to current generations
• ·      YouTube campaigns
• ·      Subliminal Advertising – e.g. info flashed up really quickly to get into the subconscious  

How branding and marketing drive the fashion industry

• ·      Connects to consumer
• ·      Drives price
• ·      Drives and captures specific demographics (whilst trying to pick up new consumers)
• ·      Marketing incentives drive consumers e.g. e vouchers, buy one get one free, driving price down for a limited time (countdowns on social media until offer on product purchase expires
• ·      Pushes consumption by selling product through a specific window of time
• ·      Historically brand identity was king
• ·      Brand attachment locked the consumer in via aspiration
• ·      This is changing now with generational shifts – consumers no longer consume because a brand tells them who to be

Meeting the consumers’ needs

• To meet the consumers, needs, you need to understand:
• ·      Who they are
• ·      How to reach them (physical/digital)
• ·      Where they live, (sometimes north/south divide in consumer taste)
• ·      Their age
• ·      What they are prepared to pay
• ·      Their likes and dislikes
• ·      Their expectations
• ·      If the production is desirable
• ·      Brands needs to research and gather data on their consumers to understand them

That is why research is critical

Effective research strategies

• ·      Keeping on top of what you are doing; organising hard copy info in files and highlighting information you have taken as research
• ·      Keeping records of hard copy sources. Photographing book, magazine, journal covers and inside the sleeve to keep a record of information
• ·      Digital research

Examining demographics and target markets

·      Age -> geographic locations -> sub-cultures (who is wearing what and why) -> earning/spending power

SWOT analysis – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats

PEST analysis – political, economic, social, technological

Micro analysis of marketing strategies

• ·      Demographics
• ·      Economics
• ·      Social and cultural
• ·      Political
• ·      Technological

4 P’s in relation to marketing strategy

• ·      Product
• ·      Price
• ·      Place
• ·      Promotion

Brand mapping – assessment of consumer perceptions of brand positioning using diagrams

Investigating brands

·      Auditing brands; investigation their current position in the market place (Available at Companies House)

What can struggling brands change or improve to re-establish themselves?

• ·      Connecting to the consumer; do they need to consider their:
• ·      Advertising strategies
• ·      Their reputation
• ·      How they connect to the consumer, (do they need to rethink their ethos and how they appear to the consumer)
• ·      Their history; are they sitting back on past glories and still expect the consumer because of who the brand perceive themselves to be?
• ·      Brand currency; brands developing a better understanding of generational/cultural shifts, how society is changing
•  

When writing report, consider the brands current marketing position

·      Look at where they were, where they are now and where (via my own in-depth research) need to cite it.

·      Reflect on research strategies and in brand groups discuss effective methods of attaching solid research strategies to your brand outcomes.

Instagram/social media observation – observe over a week, look at interactions, track likes and comments, see if there are any stats online about their Instagram. Do a couple of social medias e.g. boux avenue…country stats?