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(LE) analysis – political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental

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?