The power of branding

Burberry is a classic example of Why image is everything in this industry and how Branding, marketing and promotions can change or in the case gain respect in the industry.

Founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry at 21 years old, he introduced Gabardine into his clothes, in 1914 Burberry was commissioned by the war office to adapt it Officers coat to the warfare conditions resulting in the trench coat, which became very popular with civilians, the iconic check was created in the 1920’s which was then used and still is to line the trench coats.

Burberry is a classic English designer, never failing to deliver at fashion week with innovative yet classic garments. In the 1990’s Burberry became associated with the ‘chav’ stereotype, Because of the counter fitting of the print originally used to line the trench coats. This became a classic example of prole drift, which is where an upmarket brand becomes popular among the working class.

has taken a number of steps to distance itself from the stereotype. It ceased production of its own branded baseball cap in 2004 and has scaled back the use of its trademarked checkered/tartan design to such an extent that it now only appears on the inner linings and other very low-key positions of their clothing. It has also taken legal action against high-profile infringements of the brand. In August 2006, a company introducing tuk-tuk vehicles into the south coast city of Brighton, England named one the "Chavrolet", which had it painted in the distinctive Burberry tartan. They had to withdraw the vehicle when Burberry threatened proceedings for breach of copyright.

After many years of limiting the use of the Burberry tartan, Burberry have finally re-vamped there collections and are able to use the tartan without it being associated with the 'chav' stereotype. 

 

Fashion Marketing

Fashion marketing is the process of managing the flow of merchandise from the initial selection of designs to be produced to the presentation of products to retail customers, with the goal of maximizing a company’s sales and profitability. Successful fashion marketing depends on understanding consumer desire and responding with appropriate products. Marketers use sales tracking data, attention to media coverage, focus groups, and other means of ascertaining consumer preferences to provide feedback to designers and manufacturers about the type and quantity of goods to be produced. Marketers are thus responsible for identifying and defining a fashion producer’s target customers and for responding to the preferences of those customers.

Marketing operates at both the wholesale and retail levels. Companies that do not sell their own products at retail must place those products at wholesale prices in the hands of retailers, such as boutiques, department stores, and online sales companies. They use fashion shows, catalogs, and a sales force armed with sample products to find a close fit between the manufacturer’s products and the retailer’s customers. Marketers for companies that do sell their own products at retail are primarily concerned with matching products to their own customer base. At both the wholesale and the retail level, marketing also involves promotional activities such as print and other media advertising aimed at establishing brand recognition and brand reputation for diverse characteristics such as quality, low price, or trendiness.

Closely related to marketing is merchandising, which attempts to maximize sales and profitability by inducing consumers to buy a company’s products. In the standard definition of the term, merchandising involves selling the right product, at the right price, at the right time and place, to the right customers. Fashion merchandisers must thus utilize marketers’ information about customer preferences as the basis for decisions about such things as stocking appropriate merchandise in adequate but not excessive quantities, offering items for sale at attractive but still profitable prices, and discounting overstocked goods. Merchandising also involves presenting goods attractively and accessibly through the use of store windows, in-store displays, and special promotional events. 

Merchandising specialists must be able to respond to surges in demand by rapidly acquiring new stocks of the favoured product. An inventory-tracking computer program in a department store in London, for example, can trigger an automatic order to a production facility in Shanghai for a certain quantity of garments of a specified type and size to be delivered in a matter of days.

By the early 21st century the internet had become an increasingly important retail outlet, creating new challenges (e.g., the inability for customers to try on clothes prior to purchase, the need for facilities designed to handle clothing returns and exchanges) and opening up new opportunities for merchandisers (e.g., the ability to provide customers with shopping opportunities 24 hours per day, affording access to rural customers). In an era of increasingly diverse shopping options for retail customers and of intense price competition among retailers, merchandising has emerged as one of the cornerstones of the modern fashion industry.

Market levels in the fashion industry

Haute couture

Everyone wants to have it – only a few can afford it. I am speaking of haute couture. Haute couture houses are the major fashion houses of the world, run by recognized, internationally famous designers. To name just a few: Chanel, Prada, Fendi and my number one Alexander McQueen. The most important marketing channel for this group are the runway shows twice a year where they have the chance to present their creations to the public. However, the catwalk shows do not only promote the garments but also any other items such as accessories or perfumes. Of course, this level presents the smallest portion of the market.

It is the uniqueness of these creations and the feeling of being the only one possessing this special garment for thousands of dollars! And after all, every woman wants to be and feel special and we often tend to think that looking special is equal to being special. This is the main factor marketing at this level responds to.

Ready to wear

marry a millionaire to obtain a designer piece. Those of us not as wealthy can obtain a designer piece that is pret à porter which presents the second level of the fashion market. Although the garments are still highly priced, they are produced in greater masses than haute couture under strict quality control. They are to be found in designers’ shops, independent stores and some of the more exclusive department stores.
Wearing pret à porter means success, selling a pret à porter line means the same. The move into ready-to-wear clothing by designers meant that they could afford to offer their stylish designs and high quality to a wide audience. Gucci, Marius and I have already talked about, is part of this level of the fashion market for instance. The customers shopping pret à porter demand luxury for the every-day wear. Therefore, marketing on this level concentrates on the pieces being luxurious but still affordable.

High street fashion

Welcome to street fashion-the market area where most of us buy our clothes. It is the fastest moving sector of the fashion market that is also undergoing many changes. In this area, fashion is bought at street stores. H&M, Zara, Weekday and all the other stores you go to are part of this group. Marketing  at this level concentrates on being stylish and at the same time available for everyone.

After analyzing the different market levels in the fashion industry, where i would aim my collection would definitely be towards ready to wear, or maybe high end. alot of factors will need to be taken into consideration when making the garments things such as finishes and fabrics. Another thing that will have to be perfect is the banding and the way the collection is marketed, when put into shops the merchandising will have to be perfect, and hiring a PR company is well worth the money as they will do a far more professional job than I would do my self. Copy write is another key part in starting up a brand, once you put a copy write in place no one can copy your designs which will then make it difficult for high street brands to make another, more affordable version which will then progress on to making people know theirs only one place you can get that piece and that place would be my own brand.  

The Micro and Macro environment.

The microenvironment

The micro-environment is made form individuals and organizations that are close to the company and directly impact the customer experience. some examples of this would be, the company itself, its suppliers and other marketing input from things such as agencies, the market and segments in which the business would trade, the company's competition and those around you, (which public relations would call publics), who are people who are not paying customers but still have a large interest in your company. The Micro environment is relatively controllable since the actions of the business may influence such stakeholders, linking this with my own brand the people that would be directly impacting the brand would be people such as, Pattern cutters, designers, visual merchandisers,  PR representatives and my self as the owner and creator of the brand and company itself. The amount of new brands and upcoming designers could also effect this, if releasing a collection or new line in a store at the same time as many others my brand could become less noticed, where as if i chose to release it at a time where there were not many new designers more attention and focus would be on my own brand therefor drawing more media and hopefully this would create more sales.

The macroenvironment

The macroenvironment is less controllable than the microenvironment. The macro environment consists of much larger all-encompassing influences (which impact the microenvironment) from the broader global society. Here we would consider culture, political issues, technology, the natural environment, economic issues and demographic factors amongst others. one of the main factors that would affect most business' at this time which is in the macro environment would be the current recession, in the fashion world this has had quite the impact with the lack of disposable income in household is effecting the amount people are willing to spend on things like clothes, so rather than purchasing a designer piece it is becoming for sensible for them to purchase a filtered down high street piece closely representing the original catwalk garment. For my business in particular wanting to sell designer items will be directly affected by this, so some consideration would have to be taken when pricing the garments.
culture is another main factor for fashion brands, culture effects trends which then leads to design houses constantly having to update there brand making it marketable for the current culture trends all aspects have to be considered when designing a collection to keep it current, things such as music, celebrities, television shows and most media outputs. Being able to re-vamp a collection every season to keep in the the upcoming trends and still keep your signature look is difficult but is also made alot easier with the help of trend forecasters. paying close attention to the macro environment and trend forecasters can keep any fashion brand from sinking.

Lifestyle branding

A lifestyle brand is a brand that attempts to embody the values and aspirations of a group or culture for purposes of marketing.

Each individual has an identity based on their choices, experiences, and background (e.g. ethnicity, social class, subculture, nationality, etc.). A lifestyle brand aims to sell product by convincing potential customers that this identity will be reinforced or supplemented if they publicly associate themselves with the brand.

Louis Vuitton is a classic example of lifestyle branding, with there clever marketing and advertisements they have managed to become the largest luxury brand in the world. 

keeping most of there marketing strategies private is only helping there brand to become even bigger, despite the 18% of copy-write in the fashion industry is based on the Louis Vuitton logo and products alone.  

When advertising in magazine campaigns, billboards or now even with the release of there first ever 90 second TV commercial, you will see that the company has replaced models with celebrities, making the lifestyle they have created an even more desirable than before and continuing to draw on the opulent tradition of the french aristocracy. 

As seen in the images below Louis Vuitton using several big celebrities to promote there brand, Also selling the dream lifestyle, Rock star, Film star and Pop star.

Customer Storyboard

Moodboard for design inspiration

Design work

Final design