Fashion Advertising and its Affect on the Public in Different Domains - Essay Example

How fashion advertising has affected the public in different domains? Proposal & Essay Proposal Fashion and clothing needs are very necessary ingredients of a person’s desire to look good and gorgeous and stand out when seen in a horde of people around him. This means that man (or woman) has always yearned for appreciation and in the quest of the very same, he tries to outdo others by putting on his very best and to look different all this while. Moreover, there are certain problems when it comes to fulfilling these needs which are easily remarked as the risks and downsides of fashion and clothing. The risks are something that suggests a person might not look really nice if he tries to imitate the person from the social group, with which he holds special affinity and wants to look just like him merely for the sake of nothing but sheer attachment. This proposal leads to an essay on the way fashion advertising is depicted within the minds of the consumers who seem to be varied, scattered across a number of different platforms and hailing from a huge segment nonetheless. All efforts have been made to link this proposal with the essay since the two have a very deep connection with each other. This essay aims to investigate the basis of the research aspects related with fashion messages that are incorporated into the advertising world of today and how they connect with the target and potential audiences on a one to one level. It will study the different sub tenets of fashion advertising and thus would look to manifest the basis for its plus points as well as the downsides. This is done so as to find a common ground that needs to be reached in order to meet a point of significance for the fashion advertisements and messages that are being published in different media vehicles and types. This would assist everyone related with the research of such messages on a global level and hence a lot of incentives could be drawn up for brands. These brands and/or organizations are the ones considering these people are thinking on the lines of investing on different fashion advertising messages for the particular brands. Also, the ethical and moral constructs would be discussed so as to give the other side of the picture – a side taken by the societal norms, values and belief hierarchy. The conclusions and recommendations that could be drawn from the analysis of the research done on the reaction gained by fashion advertising and message is that they are beneficial for these different labels and brands and that they create value for the customer in more ways than one. They bring out the message given out by the fashion label or brand in a clear cut manner. The biggest names in the fashion industry on a global level include Gucci, Versace, Top Shop, D&G, Chanel, Asda, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Playboy, Jovovich-Hawk, Armani, Aurobelle, Zara, Sahza, WE, La Fee Maraboutee, Lacoste, etc. In this essay, discussion will be raised with respect to consumer loyalty related with fashion symbols, advertising messages and the way in which people connect with the related brands. One must understand that image of any fashion chain is basically what the target audiences and any set of people outside that target audience perceive it as. It is controllable at times on the part of the fashion chain but most of the times it is built by the customers, spokespersons and people who exercise some sort of authority in opinion building measures. We will find out as to how word of mouth plays a huge role in this scenario and thus image remains in the mind of a person for as long as he is alive, unless changed by some sudden intuition or experiences that are either good or bad to what was experienced before. What the fashion label/brand can build and incorporate in itself is the identity through which it ensures every effort to remain loyal and active towards the fashion consumer. The basic aspect of fashion advertising having favorable responses from the target audience can be derived if these messages are sent out in an intelligent manner, as the essay will further pinpoint. What this means is the fact that communications and social psychology play an imperative part in the understanding of the transmission of these messages through a particular medium or in a combination of media channels and vehicles. The essay will discuss the role of social psychology looking at the mannerisms through which people perceive the good and the bad, the ethically right and the morally wrong. For a number of years now, the endless possibilities that are offered by such advertising have been ignored on all counts. This has indeed tarnished the image of the companies and the brands which have run after incorporating the nude and shock imagery and messages within their campaigns and the ones which have tailored themselves in line with other forms of fashion advertising. Research and related study into this aspect will be given food for thought and they would have known as to which aspects they should cover and what must be left behind for the benefits of the end consumers and the fashion label/brand. This ultimately would benefit the fashion label/brand in the long run. Thus the unique persuasive abilities and the endless possibilities are the tangent which need to be touched upon in detail so as to harness the best returns that can be have as far as fashion advertising is concerned. As we will see within the essay, the world of fashion is moving at par with the technological regimes which are also on the move. The essay will take an incisive look at the manner under which consumers of fashion have connected with their preferred brands/organizations through a combination of different channels/media vehicles and so on. We aim to examine the related basis of magazine advertising as well as take into consideration a few examples of which FCUK is a case in point. We will delve into the realms as to how FCUK has dealt with pressure in the modern times and how it has transformed from a brand’s name into an organization of repute and standing. Also we aim to take a close look at the way in which consumers understand the messages put forward by their favorite brands or clothing lines from time to time. This, in essence, is a significant aspect of the kind of fashion advertising that is being done in the present era. Sudden changes in fashion make the fashion conscious individuals feel at trouble since it requires a real catching up act all the time. One needs to be really on his/her toes to remain abreast with the very latest in fashion circles. The best way could be to subscribe to the newspapers and magazines which bring out the best within this business on a regular level, as the essay will try to comprehend in entirety. Also tuning into the most watched fashion channels like FTV (Fashion Television) and the like could just be the right tonic for a fashion conscious individual to remain in constant touch with the latest happenings, trends and changes on a global level. However for the sake of this essay, what is most pivotal is the fact that fashion advertising could really make or break people’s perceptions towards the fashion that is being showcased in the first place and it is the need of the hour to understand that fashion has moved on from the yesteryears and past eras and will sustain in the coming times as well on a similar level. Lastly, this essay will also discuss the tenets related with masculinity, feminism and social constructs in the broader contexts as well as in depth. This will help the essay to develop in a clear enough way with inputs from all relevant quarters. This essay will also to have an understanding as to how people like to connect with the commercials and advertisements shown on television and printed in the newspapers and magazines, but they do not connect with the label/brand when it comes to the selling aspect. They generally abstain from buying these kinds of fashion labels/brands which give out a shocking message within their advertising and a sense of hatred and disassociation is amply apparent from the selling phase of these fashion labels/brands. Lastly all possible efforts will be made to discuss the salient aspects of fashion advertising in the lives of the people – for whom this advertising is done in the first place. Essay Within advertising and marketing communications, different messages play a vital role as they persuade the target consumers towards the product and/or service that are being offered by the company. This message could be in the form of a jingle or an anthem which will be played every time the brand or logo of that brand is on air, on TV or in radio, or displayed in below the line (BTL) activities. The effect of the messages is such that it makes the brand stand out from the competitors and hence does its best to break the clutter which is present in the muddle of a number of different brands and products that are being displayed regularly. A harmonious and catchy tune ensures that the brand remains synonymous with people’s wishes and desires of the product that is being discussed. It also guarantees that it remains close to their heart and thus associations are built with the brand whenever there is some form of linkage with the brand in one way or the other. Another effect that can be had from these messages is that they build a solid and heart warming relationship with the consumers and the rapport is rock solid when it comes to the potential users of the brand. The message is a significant milestone in the marketing communications philosophy. One must understand that similar messages are relayed for the public who at the end of the day solely judge the advertising on its strengths and weaknesses as well as the benefits the related products/services could bring to their table. The world of fashion is changing at a rapid speed. The consumers are always on the crossroads of choosing attires over one another since there is a lot to look out for. They cannot be certain as to whether the chosen piece of cloth or fashion accessory would be of any use, say six months down the lane. This means that the changing trends require some sort of shining armor and this is only obtainable through the fashion conscious eye of the consumers. More than this, it is the fashion retailer with added promotions and media hypes to boost up the consumer’s need to have the new piece of clothing for his own social projection. A lot of say is also from the word of mouth approach which suggests that the friends and family circles play a very positive and vibrant role in the whole equation. When we talk about the consumers’ needs of understanding their own self in a better manner, we must make note of the self concept which discusses a person’s understanding of his own personality and what does or does not echo his personal statements. This could include issues like his mood shifts that can happen with the changing seasons, the attachment of peculiar feelings with certain colors and going out of the way to buy a certain piece of cloth which is usually not considered a viable option when it comes to buying by the masses. The people who are considered amongst the aspired groups by the relevant sets of consumers, who are about to make a potential purchase, are the right people to which these consumers can actually focus their symbolic wishes and aspirations. This aspired group could be consisting of those people who are looked upon at by the consumers with a sense of desire and yearning and the consumers always make sure that they buy this just to remain attached with the aspired group. When it comes to these aspired groups, we can easily understand that they consist of models, celebrities, sportspersons or just about anybody who the consumers think worthy of being hailed as something different, so much so to bring about a different in their belief system. Thus symbolic consumption forms up as a very imperative part of the whole thinking mindset of the consumers before they hope to change their fashion practices and mold their own selves in line with what should be their need and in what manner they would fulfill the very same. When one tries to understand the rationale behind advertising in the realms of fashion it is essential to comprehend that fashion advertising brings with it a sense of bonding and creating linkages amongst the different social groups present within any society. The social groups to which the consumers try their best to attach with have a lot of positive say on the sale of a particular category of fashion. This means that the clothes worn by the social groups of the particular consumers are very significant and they can make or break the fashion in a very small period of time. Their influence over the fashion accessories which they choose to wear or endorse is something that goes down well with the masses and the ones who like to call these social groups as their personal favorites. More specifically, we can refer to these social factions as the reference groups, meaning the referencing points for the consumers so that they can easily relate with the celebrities, sportspersons and models and so on. The influence which is exerted by these reference or social groups is immense as it can literally change the thinking mindsets of its followers which are a very positive sign. Thus the reference groups really pave the way for the successful sale of fashion items and accessories and more than that tries its hand at spreading the same fashion things within the target audiences and even within the ones who are not actually very frequent buyers of it. What is more important is the fact that people who are influenced in a very easy and cordial manner by the social or reference group are not difficult to turn away from when the relation is of the fashion outlet itself and the retention rate is also high as compared to new outlets which are tried in a very placid manner to say the least, on the part of the consumers who are fashion conscious and want to look their very best. For example, the social group which brings to point the fashion business for D&G includes Monica Bellucci, Kylie Minogue, Gisele Bundchen, Madonna, Ayumi Hamasaki and Isabella Rossellini to name a few. Since the influence is tremendous by the social group, we expect to see the products of the fashion house or outlet to spread like jungle fire within the pertinent audiences and that too without any such wastage on the part of the fashion outlet when it comes to relevant expenditures and investments. Moving on, fashion advertising is pretty apparent in the way retail stores and outlets shape up. This means that store environment in essence speaks for the way fashion advertising and exposure norms have come about so to speak. Store environment is a very basic aspect of making a sale to a prospective customer who comes in a fashion outlet and wants to know about the possible options to suit his needs as concerns to fashion and its different items. Thus the need is to outline the exact points which can bring about a change in the thinking mindset when the consumer is puzzled and confused and does not know whether to buy one thing or the other or just leave the outlet and select any other shop for that matter. The manner in which he is greeted by the staff is also something that the store environment encompasses of in the literal sense of the word. When it comes to fashion retailers, it is pretty essential to fathom that these outlets must focus on the finer aspects of fashion itself where intrinsic details and basic designs have to be the buzzword. The international retail outlets for Marks & Spencer include a host of countries, a few of which are India, UAE, Spain, Switzerland, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, etc. With that there must be specific emphasis on providing value for money and having price labels so as to make the journey of the potential consumer an easy and hassle-free one. The mood swings and that too in a positive fashion can turn the feelings of this consumer into a purchase which could eventually boost the business of the fashion house and thus ask for retentive sale opportunities. The attitude is the most important thing here in this whole equation. Without a positive attitude, the consumer might never be able to make up his mind and hence quit the process of buying from the very same outlet. Thus it is imperative to psychologically force the consumer into buying the product. There should be help and facilitation at all possible levels, through the displaying of proper tags and notes and even with the presence of a changing room which provides him an opportunity to try out the new outfit to suit his needs to his own liking. The fashion brand becomes strong only when its consumers have fond memories of its experience and this can only be made possible when there is a powerful effort by the store authorities to convince the buyer that the outfit thus selected by him for the potential sale process is indeed the very best and he would actually look good after he tries it. Trying the outfit at a fashion outlet means more than half of the purchase process has already been accomplished and there needs to be a slight push by the staff so that the sale could be ended then and there. One fashion retailer which is particularly precise about its clientele is Marks & Spencer where quality is everything, not only for the consumers but also for the brand itself. It is reflected quite easily in the name, sign and products of Marks & Spencer all over the world and there could be no two views when one tries the outfits or different products of this fashion label. The decision making process of the consumers within the Marks & Spencer retail outlets is based on quality compared with his desire to stand out when within a crowd of people. This decision is somewhat easy to understand since Marks & Spencer is a global fashion brand and nearly everyone can relate to it in an easy manner. Along the line of fashion advertising and the procedures involved with their production and printing, one phenomenon that comes to mind is the aspect of understanding what goes behind the scenes in essence. These include the constructs that are commonly known to the society in one way or the other yet are never revealed as such. Thus for that matter social constructs are those concepts within the society which have evolved over a period of time due to some basis which might or might not be true. There could be a sense of ambiguity attached with these social constructs and these essentially hamper the whole process of understanding a particular form in one way or the other. There are a number of social constructs that exist in the times of today and the same have been for our understanding for so long now that they have started to seem pretty much a part and parcel of our very existence. The aspects of femininity and masculinity are something which is easily bracketed under the social constructs heading and this has been case for quite a number of decades now, if not centuries. The related linkages are predominantly the root cause for these social constructs to arise in the first place. Social constructs are indeed the entities which have been institutionalized in a social hierarchical system and which have been invented or constructed by a number of different participants which are in essence part of those very systems. These social constructs are remnant of the society or the culture that we are talking about and the same exist because people have followed the related regimes for so long now that it has become a part of their system, their day to day thinking mindset and the impending approach which has come about due to the very same. These social constructs could also be in line with the different traditional rules which are being followed over a period of time and then there are the discussions related with the conventional thinking and analysis hierarchies. Fashion shopping is related with the social construct of femininity and this exercise is suggested by Marilyn Monroe when she says that "...I’ve found out it’s fun to go shopping. It’s such a feminine thing to do." (Ms. Magazine, 1972) Next, we see the aspect of femininity given more air than the male counterparts in the US Senate, courtesy Sherian Grace Cadoria where she suggests that "By act of Congress, male officers are gentlemen, but by act of God, we are ladies. We don’t have to be little mini-men and try to be masculine and use obscene language to come across. I can take you and flip you on the floor and put your arms behind your back and you’ll never move again, without your ever knowing that I can do it." (Lanker, 1989) As far as masculinity is concerned, there is this notion ingrained in the minds of the people that a man should never cry since he is a man, which is so against the concept of being a human being. Anyone can have an emotional fit since both men and women are human beings having heart and mind. Crying or weeping on the part of a man is considered to be a real excuse and the question which is asked in such a situation goes directly on the manhood of a person. The kids are however not associated with the aspect of masculinity in the same vein as the young adults are. Then there is the social construct of smoking and taking drugs since the young men think they would look really masculine and manly if they take all these fatal things. Norman Mailer suggests that “Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it by winning small battles with honor.” (URL: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/norman_mailer/) As far as men and violence is concerned, Andrea Dworkin is of the view that “Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of others honoring their sacred and proven masculinity. In male culture, police are heroic and so are outlaws; males who enforce standards are heroic and so are those who violate them.” (URL: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/andrea_dworkin/) When one speaks of a fashion label which has the necessary ingredients in terms of its advertising like the proper message, much needed visuals to attract the target audience and the fashion photography to bring freshness to it. Then there should be a realization for an aspect called consumer loyalty and retention is significant. Consumer loyalty is very specific to the hearts of the people who use the labels to look good and feel intrinsically happy. For example the readers loyal to the fashion magazine Cosmopolitan would remain committed to its images, stories, fashion news and so on no matter its management regimes change or there is an editorial policy shift say ten years down the lane in the future. The loyalty to a label/brand raises a lot of questions that the competitors have to answer. These could be in line with their falling standards that the customer switched over to a loyal and more dedicated fashion label. Jossey-Bass (Griffin, 2002) is of the view that consumer loyalty is something that the consumer might not easily tell to everyone. This is because positive word of mouth ratios are much lesser than the negative spread. This is due courtesy the word of mouth where it spreads like jungle fire, with respect to a particular fashion label/brand’s usage, experience or the mere presence of it within the sights of the target audience due to negative past images and memories. Now shifting attention on the aspect of shock advertising within fashion, we find out that its usage is considerably apparent in the related circles. This is in the form of naked images of men and women as well as children or people having sex in front of the apparel or label under question. This aspect is successful at times because people pay more attention to these commercials and watch them but then again it is a totally different subject altogether that whether these brands/labels actually sell or otherwise. When it comes to the selling facet of these fashion labels/brands which make use of the shock aspect, there is a big difference between the two. French Connection United Kingdom (FCUK) is a fashion label/brand which has attained huge recognition and fame since it is considerably synonymous with an expletive. The problem here is that there is no term such as bad publicity hence FCUK is playing upon the same theory. But when it comes to conservative parents, they raise concerns and draw the attention of everyone towards the expletive which is being used in a hidden yet clear manner. There were complaints received by UK’s advertising industry as people were generally against the very existence of this brand within their country. The parents believed that FCUK was making the teenagers and young ones into violent beings, which would only destroy the sanctity of the UK local publics and thus the social fabric due to these very expletives would be tarnished. Thus the hidden meaning within the brand name and its message going out to the different sets of audiences came as somewhat of a dreadful exercise and thus this fashion label/ brand stands out as the leading one. The basic purpose of such advertising is to create the sense of attention that the fashion label/brand requires for its own self. What this means is the fact that advertising agency team and the brand communication team go a bit too far in the quest of coming up with a perfect message. This would be tailored to meet the needs, wishes and wants of the target audiences in the best manner that there could be. They have to break the clutter and they believe this indeed is the way for them. There must be measures, mechanisms and counter mechanisms to check for the trespassing as far as ethical norms and routines are concerned, coming under the advertising principles and rules. Consumers of fashion are very conscious of their needs and wishes and usually they go out of their budgets to satisfy their whims. This means that there is a lot of room for strengthening the products in the best manner possible when the talk is of quality rather than mere quantity. Versace has adopted on to the bandwagon of having celebrity endorsements for its fashion apparels and products, much like the other well-known fashion labels that are operational all round the world. Elton John, Axl Rose, Late Princess Diana, Beyonce, The Notorious B.I.G, Elizabeth Hurley, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Moore, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Halle Berry, Kate Moss, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Angela Lindvall, Carolyn Murphy, Christy Turlington, Daria Werbowy and Miriam Escott IV are some of the prominent ones to make Versace such a huge name in the world of fashion. Bibliography Agres, Stuart J. (1990). Emotion in Advertising: Theoretical and Practical Explorations. Quorum Books Amber, T. 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