Marketers are using digital tools like search advertising, email marketing and search engine marketing to build brand awareness and recall, says Dr Sunita Gupta Konwar
Fashion marketing is where fashion and business intersect to build awareness of brands’ core philosophy and products, connect with the target audience, drive sales and boost revenue. Fashion entrepreneurs need to be thoroughly abreast of marketing communication trends and position their brand as the top choice for customers. Unlike other sectors, fashion communication campaigns should be able to achieve their goals and objectives within a short timeline after their launch. Thus, the short cycle is the salient feature of fashion marketing campaigns.
The fashion industry is highly dynamic, with trends rapidly evolving. The competition is also stiff marked by the entry of several new brands. Here are some marketing communication trends redefining the fashion industry.
The acceleration of digital transformation has reimagined the fashion communication landscape. Marketers are increasingly leveraging digital tools such as search advertising, email marketing, search engine marketing, etc., to build brand awareness and recall. Nevertheless, mobile-friendly websites, advertisements and landing pages are among the top trends for the fashion industry due to increasing traffic from mobile devices over any other channels.
Mobile marketing provides personalised, location and time-sensitive information to customers on the go. Nevertheless, the rise of digital platforms in no way implies the death-knell of traditional marketing. While digital platforms help to boost engagement and reach, traditional media build awareness and recall. Both mediums will co-thrive as fashion brands ramp up their communication strategies to achieve tangible outcomes.
The COVID-19 has catalysed digitisation, paving the way for fashion shows to go digital. Designers are collaborating with tech companies to harness computer-aided models to showcase the new collections. A salient feature of these events is the harnessing of innovative technologies like Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence to offer curated experiences. For instance, The fabric of reality simulated an experience of guests moving down a purple carpet in a futuristic museum toward the exhibition hall.
The hallmark of the show was a 360-degree immersive experience, including a mix of fashion, music and graphics. It also leveraged the power of collaboration among digital experts and designers to produce animated videos.
Technology has also emerged as a panacea to enhance efficiency, ensure cost-effectiveness and maximise Return On INvestment (ROI) ROI on fashion communication campaigns. Technologies like AI help marketers gain insight into behavioural and purchase patterns of their target audience, segment them and customise their strategy accordingly.
Social shopping is among the relatively new fashion marketing trends. Fashion brands are linking their social media handles with their websites to enable viewers to make a purchase at one click anytime and anywhere.
Fashion bloggers/vloggers help reach out to new markets, increase lead generation and drive sales for businesses.
Live streaming is another avenue with constant growth. Live streaming videos help fashion brands amplify their reach by enabling netizens to tune in to events from their devices in real-time. The fashion communication strategy should be geared towards establishing their official Livestream channels instead of relying on third-party players, besides YouTube, Instagram Live, Facebook Live, Vimeo Livestream, Streamshark and Ustream are fantastic live streaming platforms.
The penetration of e-commerce, the proliferation of emerging technologies and increasing social media consumption have prompted marketers to rethink their marketing communication strategies to monetise existing platforms more effectively and maximise their ROI from them. Nevertheless, great content with powerful storytelling and emotion will continue to be the key ingredient of successful marketing campaigns.
The writer is course leader, Associate Professor, Fashion Business Management, Indian Institute of Art and Design