Innovation in the UK Fashion Retailing Firms - Case Study Example

Introduction

For a long time, the fashion industry has been inaccessible to many consumers. However, it is now no longer the case, thanks to the increased utility of social media sites, especially from 2009. The social media platforms provide real time access across the globe, and has resulted in a great effect on how the potential purchasers react and interact with the fashion industry. In fact, it has brought fresh techniques of advertising used by such fashion industries to advertise their wares to the target consumers.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media allows collaborative sharing and acquisition of ideas, opinions and experiences via a user generated information or content. There are many ways through which social media differs from the traditional media. They include frequency, flexibility, quality and accessibility. Somehow, the most important of all is the capacity for two-way technique of social communication, and it is what allows for flexibility and effective interactions (Das, pp.12).

Many forms of social media platforms used by the fashion industry include Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and advertising through windows and android applications. However, for the cause of this paper, Instagram and Fashion Blogging will be examined.

Instagram

Because of technological improvements in information and telecommunication since 2011, the use of smartphones such as iPads and iPhones have also soared, resulting in increased interaction of the marketers with the consumer world. The Instagram was launched in 2010 as an app, and has witnessed a massive growth in the numbers of users around the globe. Currently, it has over two hundred million users, with over twenty six billion images shared thus far. This averages to about 1.7 billion likes per day. The figures portray a suggestion that the content posted daily are very exposed, and, therefore, it places Instagram on a pedestal in reaching large number of potential consumers of the fashion industry products. In fact, it is currently being seen as the world’s most powerful tool in fashioning and shaping the manner in which the consumers perceive different brands. It has more than 200 million active users daily, and the access to new ideas from likeminded, creative persons is almost unlimited. As a result, many of the fashion onward accounts on it with large followers can turn their dreams into businesses and generate huge proceeds (Larcker, et al., pp.22).

Fashion Blogging

Blogs are normally maintained by a business or an individual with consistent records of description and reportages of events, commentary, or other material such as videos or illustrations. Since 2011, fashion blogging has grown increasingly popular to cover the entire fashion industry, reviews of clothing collections and articles, and personal styles.

Bloggers in fashion industry have a very standing of reputation and legitimacy and those with large followings have marshalled power in the world of fashion. Their success emanates from being the person they are, interaction with others, desire to achieve a certain target and possessing an elite standing for legitimacy. As a result, their standing has changed to trendsetters from being amateurs, and they often receive invitations during the fashion week exhibitions by the reputed fashion houses. In fact, the once fashion-obsessed amateurs in fashion can now command a five-figure payment from the fashion brands because of the marketing they do to reach a large number of consumers by their savvy marketing and trendsetting. Unlike superstars, bloggers are more than mouthpieces for fashion brands. In lieu, they are trustworthy and authoritative, and has consequently given a priceless note to the work they do.

PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

For a marketing campaign through the social media by the fashion houses to succeed, there are many strategies that must be prudently scrutinised, analysed and finally warranted as good and profit-oriented. However, such procedures do not just achieve sudden rise in customer consumption. There must be a time factor for the same. This is why the strategies outlined herein should cover a period of one year to achieve any substantial profit output.

Marketing is designed to focus on winning and maintaining customers unlike business plan. It is strategic in nature and encompasses facts, objectives and numbers. For this reason, a good marketing plan via the social media should spell out every tactic and tool to be utilised to sell the fashion house’s wares. That implies every tweet, like, reply and comment should be guided by a plan meant to drive it onward to achieve the pre-determined or the pre-meditated objectives. However, it might seem a little complex from the start, but when all the comprehensive efforts are properly planned and channelled, the remaining of the social marketing endeavours should follow naturally. It is achievable if given the right approach, as highlighted in this paper.

Situation Analysis

This is the first step in social media marketing campaign. In this process, the company defines itself, the products and services it offers, and the potential benefits its consumers will get from buying its wares. It also outlines the benefits provided when the competition is set apart from the rest of other fashion houses. Not only should the company describe to detail what they are offering, but they should also possess a lucid understanding of what the competitors are capable of. In so doing, the company will exhibit how they intend to provide a better value.

The situation analysis should be succinct and a concise summary of the company’s threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths. In this regard, the weaknesses and strengths are essentially the factors inherent in the business, whereas the threats and opportunities are the external influencing factors. Strengths denote ways in which the company offers superior products or comprehensive services. Weaknesses, for instance lack of trained or experienced staff members, is anything that operates in an inundated market. In the same vein, the company should then define any peripheral prospects to capitalise on. Such opportunities may include expansion of the market, and, at this juncture, the social media platform comes in handy (Hootsuite Social Media Management, pp.25).

Positioning the company’s products would encompass two stages. First is the analysis of the features of the products and their distinctive characteristics. Next is the decision of the most potential customer for the product.

Description of the Target Audience

This second stage is a simple description of the consumer profile. Such description could be in form of gender, family composition, geographic location, earnings and age. Irrespective of the nature of the target audience, they should be narrowly delineated because it would give an invaluable guide during the planning for the public relations and social media campaigns.

Creating Social Media Objectives

This is an important strategy in achieving the target for the fashion industry’s business goals. Drawing the objectives would allow the industry to promptly respond when the social media promotions are not producing the expected results. In fact, in the absence of such goals, there could be no other way of gauging the success of the company, and hence no way of claiming a positive return of the investments.

The goals should be in symphony with the wider strategy in marketing so that the efforts made in social media campaigns can be shown to drive the business onward. As a result, it would be more probable to achieve an executive purchase-in and investments. As a stringent managerial measure, the goals should supersede the vanity metrics such as likes and re-tweets to the more advanced measurement thresholds such as referred sentiment or website traffic and the generated leads. The SMART technique, which denotes specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound, should be used. Since the company in question is still nascent, an easy method to begin the social media campaign should entail enlisting a minimum of four social media objectives, and an outline of tracking the same.

Identification of a Social Media Manager

It is obvious that there are many responsibilities involved in managing a fruitful business. Therefore, if the department of social media campaign is not properly managed, it could very easily fall by the roadside. It is always prudent for the company to identify an experienced individual or multiple staff members with the sole responsibility of posting and monitoring the company’s posts and consent. In this regard, it is also important for such person(s) to regularly post relevant content, respond to and monitor all the feedback and comments. Such person(s) ought to be willing to monitor the social pages of the company at all times, and on all the days of the week. The work could be simplified by having constant alerts on mobile-run applications and e-mails (The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, pp.21).

Conducting Social Media Audit

Before creating the social media campaign plan, it is prudent to evaluate how the social media is going to be used and worked on by the company. It involves figuring out what social media site most of the target market uses and the telecommunication company providing the connection. Once the audit on who runs and controls such sites and every social account of the company has been done, then the ‘living store’ should be regularly updated and maintained, as the company scales the business ladders.

Setting up Marketing Budget

A percentage of the anticipated total sales should be dedicated to the marketing budget annually. When starting a new business, as is the case for the fashion industry in question, the finances could be acquired from self-financing, borrowing or simply using the newly obtained funds. Marketing should be allocated the necessary finances it requires because it is essentially the lifeline of the business. Since the social media provides a platform for reaching every imaginable customer niche, there is, therefore, a need to allocate even the tightest budget to the market. The same could be utilised in giving the fervent customers awards and tokens in form of voucher cards. At times, the marketing demands may exceed the allowable budget, but the secret is to never stop social media campaigns.

Creating and Improving Social Media Accounts

Having audited the social accounts, the shift should now turn to honing the online presence of the company. At this stage, if the company already has a social account, the duty is to improve and apprise them. The company should create profiles which best suites the objectives of the business. Such profiles should come after choosing the social media sites to be used. The social media manager should consider all the possible social sites, as highlighted above, and optimise on the most promising, consumer-laden ones. If the company considers to operate multiple accounts, then is it vital for all such sites to have the same feel and look as the company’s website (Business 2 Community, 2013, pp.12).

In creating and designing the social sites, the social media manager should ascertain that they have the right mix of photos and colours for maximum impact. In addition, it should integrate the company’s profile picture, incorporate and enable a call module and point to where the prospective customers can contact the company’s customer care. Finally, links should be incorporated on the social site which enables the invitation of friends and customers to join and like the page (Patten, 2008).

Generating Engaging Content and Editorial Calendar

Great, relevant content is essential for the success of the business. Doing so would require the manager to think like a potential customer and put himself or herself in a customer’s shoes. Creating desirable content would always pick up new followers and many likes. The content ideas could include some wise piece of advice and tips, a humorous post, contests and coupons, apprehensive photos and video clips, special events and sales, overviews of the products offered, interactive questions, and recognition and highlighting of the customers, among others.

On the other hand, the editorial calendar should list the times and dates when the manager intends to make blog posts, Twitter messages, Facebook posts, etc. After creating the calendar, messaging should be scheduled in advance instead of constantly updating it through the day. The engagement with customers should be spontaneous and ought to take precedence over the content given to the audience. In this regard, therefore, the calendar should mirror the mission statement consigned to each social profile.

Monitoring Responses and Tracking Results

This stage involves testing, evaluating and adjusting the social media marketing strategy. It is important to monitor all the responses, comments and provide a timely feedback. Irrespective of the tone or nature of the responses from the audience, all such feedbacks must be duly addressed (Peterson, 2014). In case of compliments for the products offered, they ought to be thanked and welcomed again. On the same note, the validity of all negative comments must be investigated and addressed accordingly. Such feedback is essential in determining the next course of action to be taken by the company. Good tracking system should be in place to give insights into the customers and their reaction.

Continual testing provides the adjustments required to be made in the social media campaign plan. Successes and failures should be recorded and analysed, and the adjustment should be premised on the outcome of such analysis (Trzaskowski, 2011).

Adjustment is triggered by the fact that social media marketing campaigns is continually changing. New networks emerge with development of technology, and, for the fashion industry to attain its objectives, it might be forced to adjust at the same pace with the technology, and find the most appropriate social network for every product it sells. Obviously, new challenges are bound to arise, but every surmounted challenge translates into a business success.

The best way to gauge customer demand is to interact with them at a personal level. In fact, doing so would help in identifying the areas of weaknesses and strengths. Prompt response is vital for developing a relationship with the customers.

As the social marketing environment keeps on changing, the strategies and goals for the business should be rewritten to mirror the most recent insights, and ensuring the staff members are aware of and updated on the same (Sarabdeen, 2014).

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ARISING FROM SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

The regards marketing and advertising through the social media the same way it does other similar business in the context of the conventional media. Marketers and advertisers using any social media should ascertain that their claims are accurate and truthful, and that they can substantiate the same before letting them out to the public. In this context, they must conspicuously and lucidly disclose all the information about a deal in their ads.

It is imperative for the companies having connections with a third-party conglomerate advertisers and marketers through social media to ensure that they adhere to the laws that apply in their areas of business. This is to ascertain that no one’s intellectual property rights are infringed.

Social media networking sites usually have laws, commonly known as terms and conditions, which control the use of such websites. Such regulations govern advertising and business practices carried out in it, including customer contests, vouchers and sweepstakes.

For instance, LinkedIn proscribes its users from spreading any unauthorised or unsolicited promotional materials. On the other hand, Twitter forbids the use of the website to spread spammed messages.

Apart from adhering to the regulations of the provisions of the social media sites, the marketers should also consider any law that limits the involvement of the user in other commercial endeavours on the website (Pitt, 2011). As a result, a social media campaign which leads to the customers violating the site’s rules and regulations is likely to expose the manager of the website to unwarranted liability, hence damaging the reputation of the marketer among the customers. The site might as well stop the marketer form carrying out further marketing campaigns via its website (Raghu, pp.20).

To be on the safe side of the law, a social media manager should implement their own terms and conditions before they allow people into their sites. Such regulations should be readily available to their prospective customers. Doing so can hinder third-party users, and even the very company’s employees, from unlawfully using the website. In fact, such regulations would protect the company from unmerited liability for the activities of its employees and the third-party participants. In drafting the terms and conditions, they should mirror good faith and belief in the company, judicious determination to govern and censure the staff members and third-party with respect to the site. It is imperative to note that such determination and efforts are normally considered in gauging the marketer’s degree of accountability for the actions of their staff members and third-party.

A website’s regulations must forbid unlawful use of the site. Ideally, it ought to identify the particular activities of unlawful behaviour. In addition, it must widely forbid the unlawful conduct (Akyol, 2013).

For instance, the laws should hinder the use of the website in a way that is libellous, defamatory, or trespasses on the third-party’s or the company’s intellectual property rights, or their right to publicity or privacy. They should also state clearly that the business establishment shall not be held accountable for any content published in the platform by unauthorised users or third parties.

Many times, social media campaigns involve using user-generated information or content. In this context, therefore, soliciting such content in relation to a marketing promotion strategy encompasses the risk of being responsible for the legal liability for the information or content generated by a person involved in the promotion. Integrating the user-created content in such a promotion potentially exposes the manager of the site to liability for copyright breach, libel, infringement of one’s publicity or privacy rights, trademark violations, deceptive marketing, among other contraventions. However, the law gives the sites some protection from the user-created information or content when utilised for restricted purposes, but affords the advertisers less protection for the same content when it is re-posted in relation to a promotion or any other related campaign (Gorzig, 2013).

The table below shows a summary of the key parts of the report.

1

Two forms of social media

Instagram

Fashion Blogging

2

Plan of action for implementing the social media campaign

Solution analysis

Description of target audience

Creating social media objectives and goals

Identification of social media manager

Conducting a social media audit

Setting up a marketing budget

Creating and improving social accounts

Generating engaging content and editorial calendar

Monitoring responses and tracking results

3

I.P Rights

Exploiting and protecting the I.P rights