Gabriella Cutrona

How a person expresses and presents themselves to the world says a lot about their intentions, personality, and other things, it is the same with brands. With the growth of social media platforms and awareness, propaganda is one of the most critical factors for a company to attract a positive impact from their customers. Today’s reality shows us that the quality of products or services alone can no longer ensure companies’ success. Todor once said that Brand awareness’ leads to the perception of quality, defining attributes, and finally to brand loyalty (2014). This proves that having excellent branding and a well-thought marketing plan can increase the company’s profit. Branding is fundamental for a good strategy; it helps since the significant noticeable details to the semiotics that enter our minds, influencing consumers to think about a product deliberatively, creating their brand knowledge, aka a linked memory. Language, signs, and symbols are tools that brands can use to communicate their story, advertise their products and make a deeper connection with their audience (Hedley, 2019)

The brand philosophy is vital to show their aims and goals to the outside world. A mission statement proclaims corporate purpose indicating what the organization intends to accomplish, identifies the market(s) in which the firm intends to operate, and reflects the philosophical premises that guide actions. (Ireland and Hirc,1992). The new generation cares about where they buy their products from, and a good example is Gen Z which seeks for transparency and identification. They want to be clients of a brand that relates to their purposes and actions towards the environment, inclusive, sustainable, and friendly. In 2020, Lalaounis analyzed that we usually consume brands whose personalities and values correspond to our own personalities and values. From the consumer choice perspective, higher brand equity typically translates into a greater purchase probability. We tend to choose the brands we hold in high esteem and are more willing to pay a premium price. (Douglas, 2013). For this reason, it is essential nowadays to have an aligned branding and marketing plan and positive brand knowledge for customers to connect. A brand’s visual identity is vital to show how they transmit its emotions and personality and how they tell its story.

REFERENCE:

Douglas, Evans (2013) Psychology of Branding, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated ProQuest Ebook Central,

Ireland, R. D., & Hirc, M. A. (1992). Mission statements: Importance, challenge, and recommendations for development. Business Horizons, 35(3), 34-42.

Hedley, A (2019) The semiotics of branding. https://medium.com/tilt-brand-insights/the-semiotics-of-branding-568cc32dbf99#:~:text=Semiotics%20create%20deeper%20meanings&text=Audiences%20identify%20with%20traits%20that,message%20through%20your%20visual%20identity.

Lalaounis, Sotiris T.. (2020) Strategic Brand Management and Development: Creating and Marketing Successful Brands, Taylor & Francis Group

Todor, R. D. (2014). The importance of branding and rebranding for strategic marketing. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 7(2), 59.

When asked what the fashion industry is to people, most relate just to the creative side of it and forget that this is one of the biggest industries in the world and, if ranked, would represent the seventh-largest economy (McKinsey,2017). It has many sides: marketing, design, retail, production, management, and social responsibilities… Even though fashion brands can love creating and producing, most of them are more focused on the profit they will make out of it. The growth of the fast fashion movement, aided by social media, is outpacing the growth of the sustainable fashion movement. Fashion consumers buy over 80 billion new pieces of clothing annually, making it profitable, over 400% more than what we consumed just two decades ago (fashion united, no date), making it profitable. As a side of the positive revenue, the environment suffers from overconsumption. (Henthorn, J., & Ulasewicz, C, 2015).

Before the 2020’s pandemic, the fashion industry’s global revenue was estimated between $1.7 trillion and $2.5 trillion ( fashion united, no date), and after, according to Euromonitor (2021), the global apparel and footwear market size shrunk in 2020 by -18.1% (to $1.45 trillion). Nevertheless, with that came changes in how brands produce and their selling methods; e-commerce was already rising before covid, but it had a significant boom, accounting for nearly 20% of retail sales worldwide. Nowadays, if the brand does not have an online selling platform, they are behind its competitors; most luxury companies see that they need it to adapt their ways of selling and communicating with their customers. With this increased exposure, companies can create new trends in short periods and sell more and more clothing. There are too many seasons and fashion shows to keep track of, and fast fashion retailers receive shipments of new styles daily. (Henthorn, J., & Ulasewicz, C, 2015) Brands have started changing their values to reach the audience and amplify by using social media platforms, being more sustainable and transparent because if they do not keep up, competitors will. Besides that, creative directors have to produce more daily collections rather than just statement pieces to sell. They are translating haute couture designers’ creations into wearable clothing. Nowadays, people want to relate to people, not big celebrities. That is why creating fashion is an exciting, challenging, and often risky business, but solid business models and operational work underpin this highly creative industry. (Grose, Virginia, 2021)

References:

Hethorn, J., & Ulasewicz, C. (Eds.). (2015). Chapter 9-Economic impact of textile and clothing recycling Pages: 204–230

Fashion united ( no date) Global fashion industry statistics. https://fashionunited.com/global-fashion-industry-statistics 

Fashion united (2021) Euromonitor https://fashionunited.com/companies/euromonitor-international

McKinsey (2021) State of Fashion 2022: An uneven recovery and new frontiers

www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion

McKinsey (2017) State of Fashion 2017: An uneven recovery and new frontiers

www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Retail/Our%20Insights/The%20state%20of%20fashion/The-state-of-fashion-2017-McK-BoF-report.pdf

Grose, Virginia (2021) A Practical Guide to the Fashion Industry : Concept to Customer, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/detail.action?docID=6934124.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, marketers have divided us into seven groups for research and study purposes, aka generations. Each shared experiences and circumstances, making them unique and Remarkables groups of people.

As a Gen-Z, I have never lived in a world without technology and phones; we are digital natives. Growth with access to social media platforms, we now live in a world of influence; we like to be represented and listened to, “more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation “( Parker, K 2020). However, for this reason, we are dependent on technology: for every single act in our daily routine- from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep- we are connected to technological instruments that facilitate our lives. Generation Z is used to google things and having the information in seconds, the easy and fast access way “a hypercognyitive generation very comfortable with collecting and cross-referencing many sources of information and integrating virtual and offline experiences” (McKinsey, 2019). 

Brands have to change the way they act and produce for this youth group of people as Gen Z is more aware of global crises, inequalities, and other problems. They like to buy from brands they admire who are creative, respectful, knowledgeable, interested in what is happening, open-minded, and have good communication skills. So to attract the attention of Z consumers, eye-catching short content creations influenced by someone they relate to and admire rather than traditional celebrities is a potent tool for brands. Transparency is vital for creating a trustful environment between the brands and them- which is essential because Z’s “analyze not only what they buy but also the very act of consuming”(McKinsey, 2019). Companies are expected to be inclusive and give their opinions on problems happening in the world. “Gen Z consumers are more likely to buy sustainable, high-quality products. They value personalized products and are often drawn to brands that share their point of view on political issues. (Apttus, 2022) ” An excellent example of a brand that embraces diversity is ThirdLove, “a lingerie company created in response to the frustration the co-founders (and countless other women) felt when trying to find bras that fit real bodies.” (Pixlee Taranto, no date). They created a line of bras with 78 different sizes. Their social side is solid; they participate in many causes, such as saving the turtles and hurricane help. Third Love has made an incredible campaign called “ THE TL EFFECT” to support businesses run by women of color, providing mentoring sessions and other activities.

REFERENCE:

Apttus (2022) How is Generation Z shopping?

Parker, Kim ( 2020) What We Know About Gen Z So Far

McKinsey (2019) ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies 

Third Love (no date) Our story

Pixx Lee (no date) 4 brands embracing diversity in their content

photo : https://comarketing-news.fr/millenials-et-gen-z-se-mefient-des-contenus-de-marques/

www.dailydigitalfix.com/gen-z-fashion-brands/

After thinking a lot, I notice I don’t have a particular favorite brand. So, I’m going to talk about an exciting Brazilian brand called Noor. It started not so long ago as a small business, with the objective of you being able to create or buy different and unique pieces. The owner, Amanda, became a good friend after becoming a client, which made me love the brand more as I know most of the background and the creation of ideas. It is a small business from the south of Brazil that has small drops around the year varying different types of styles and clothes. Also, all the materials are handmade by a local producer; Noor is also linked to her homemade silk company, making it all more interesting. Amanda designs with you special productions of pieces you want to create as well; for example, most of my dresses are made specifically for me, in my measures and style.