Introduction to Fashion Marketing

So, let’s start with,

What is Fashion Marketing? 

According to Fashion Marketing Book edited by Mike Easey,

“Fashion Marketing is the application of a range of techniques and a business philosophy that centers upon the customer and potential customer of clothing and clothing-related products and services in order to meet the long-term goals of the organization. It is a major argument of this book that fashion marketing is different from many other areas of marketing.”

So, how is Fashion Marketing different from other areas of marketing?

The Fashion Marketing Book, suggests and argues that fashion marketing is different from other areas of marketing. But in my opinion, the basic marketing techniques remain the same. Be it product marketing, business marketing, or fashion marketing. In any type of marketing, you have to focus on one center point: USP, Unique selling point. USP helps to market your commodity, brand, product, or your intangible asset effectively. The difference lies in the methods you use to market your brand. Fashion Marketing can include Advertising Campaigns, Ramp walk shows, Celebrity Wedding functions which can boost a particular brand’s value immensely. Fashion Marketing is about innovation, coping with the change, and creating something unique. Fashion marketing is certainly different in a way than other areas of marketing because it has the power to influence the generations. Fashion marketing includes various aspects like Fashion Marketing research, Fashion Product Management, Fashion Promotion, Fashion Distribution, Fashion Product positioning and pricing, verifying any ethical issues in fashion marketing, etc. Thus, for this blog, I will explain what is the Fashion Marketing process and how we can do fashion marketing effectively by keeping in mind very essential and important pointers.

Fashion Marketing Process: Below is a chart that explains aptly how a fashion marketing process works. 

MARKET RESEARCH:

In a marketing environment, we start with the market research, so what is market research? Market research refers to analyzing customer needs and wants, what do they like, their paying capacity, segmenting the target markets or target audience, current trends, potential competitors, etc. Doing a detailed report about the above aspects helps point a fashion marketer in the right direction, helps him/her prepare a detailed and organized fashion marketing plan for the organization. 

DESIGN RESEARCH:

Market research is important because it helps in determining your next step i.e. Design Research. Design research is similar to market research only instead of a market you research about your design. What type of designs do customers like, current trends in design and fashion, which particular type of fabric is in trend, competitors in a particular category of fashion or design? Market research and Design research can be accurate if aided by market surveys. Market surveys help a lot in determining your plan of action.

CUSTOMER:

They say customer is god; this definitely applies to the fashion marketing process. Your brand will be successful only if you have something unique that will appeal to the customer. Customers might not even like your product at first but if it is unique, you as a brand will eventually be successful in convincing the customer as to why you are better than others in a way the customer understands the best, show them your U.S.P in practicality. The utmost or most important factor in this marketing environment and the fashion marketing process is the CUSTOMER.

MARKETING MIX:

So, what is the marketing mix? Marketing mix is a set foundation model or you may say certain marketing tools used by an organization or business to determine an appropriate marketing strategy. Marketing mix also includes factors that help determine the suitability of marketing a particular product, your commodity to a certain target base or target audience and its’ success rate. Marketing mix includes mainly 7 important elements- Product, place, price and promotion, people; process, and physical. Using, identifying, and arranging marketing mix properly, helps reduce the business risks, helps develop the organization’s strengths and limit its’ weaknesses. The marketing mix helps a business take profitable marketing decisions at every level.

This process if done effectively at every step can help boost the business of your fashion organization. If even one step is jumbled up, it may lead to a fashion marketing blunder, worse, for a bigger organization, it can cost your reputation. 

How can we do fashion marketing effectively?

Fashion marketing can be done effectively only if you have your fashion marketing planning process in place. The fashion marketing planning process includes The mission statement, Corporate objectives, Marketing objectives, Marketing audit, Marketing strategy, Marketing plan, Implementation, and last but not the least Evaluation and control. 

Fashion marketing can be successfully implemented also if you conduct the SWOT Analysis for your organization. Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is very necessary to overcome any obstacle, may it be an obstacle for an individual working in that organization or the fashion organization itself. Only putting a fashion marketing planning process in place is not enough, you need to keep yourself updated with the current trends, global market, the customer wants/needs, etc regularly because there are certain factors that might change just before your big launch or just after your launch. For this, you need to keep reading & stay updated which will help you gain general knowledge about your industry, expert opinions and in future you will be able to handle any situation efficiently and not panic.

– Nilambari Chandwadkar

PRO, DIDT Campus

At DIDT, We conduct various courses on fashion designing. Our wonderful faculty is very friendly and an expert in their field. Subjects like above are taught in our fashion designing courses and our faculty concentrates on every individual and explains every subject in detail until a student understands it properly. DIDT provides great exposure in this field. If you feel, you have a hidden fashion designer in you or you want to be a fashion marketer, come visit us. Our faculty and I would be very happy to talk to you. Waiting for you, yes YOU, FUTURE FASHION DESIGNERS!