Fashion: Round table discussion

Fashion, by its very nature, is transitory. Millions are spent ever year, from the high street to high-couture, on building fashion brands with the continual challenge of remaining cutting edge - racing to come up with the current season's ‘it' item. But as purse strings tighten and marketing campaigns proliferate how do you make sure you stay relevant, and get the right kind of exposure?

Amplify pulled together a round table featuring some of the leading lights of fashion to get their perspectives:

Established Designer - Henry Holland, House of Holland
Aspiring Designer - Vanessa Harrington
Retailer - Caroline Bradley, Brand Communications Manager at Oasis
Celebrity Stylist - Mark Hayes, industry voice and GMTV presenter
PR - Lucy Evans, Founder of Dust Co-Operative

Getting the Basics Right
Success can be three-fold. It starts with the right product and, at the right price for your target market, it translates into sales through accessibility to the consumer.

But there has been a polarisation on the high street in recent years. Although people continue to invest in top end brands, retailers like Primark, at the other end of the market spectrum, have also experienced growing success. These companies produce affordable products reflecting current trends, and have acquired an almost cult-like following among customers. The key is in the marketing, and distribution can play a vital role.

It's not only about having a physical presence today, products must also be available online. Take ASOS. The unique concept has rocketed to success since its launch in 2000, as it was able to provide faster production than its high street competitors, and as a result has become the fastest growing UK online store.

Seeing it in the Right Places
Product placement is vital to any brand. Whether it's in magazines, or affiliated with a well respected tastemaker, one piece of well-thought-out coverage can make the difference between a new collection landing in the bargain bin or becoming the must have item of the season.

Says founder and director of Dust PR, Lucy Evans: "We build a brand's presence and credibility by adopting a dual approach of strong editorial placement complimented by highly targeted opinion former seeding for all of our clients. It's about credibility and endorsement rightthe way down the communication chain from print and broadcast to digital. Opinion former seeding helps shape brand positioning and this in turn gets the media excited about the brand. Leveraged correctly the resulting editorial momentum will ensure both strong retail, and, ultimately, consumer buy in."

Social media
Social networking sites, including blogs, and live online streaming are becoming more important in the fashion world as the quickest way to spread the word about new collections, while also giving designers and retailers the opportunity for direct interaction with their friends, fans, and followers.

Says fashion stylist Mark Hayes: "I've turned to Facebook and Twitter as it will help my fan base grow. For the people that aren't at home in the morning to see me on GMTV, I can interact with them on the move throughout the day."

Fashion designer Henry Holland has become a delightfully honest online blogger for Vogue.com. He feels that online blogging is important and relevant to him and their brand. Holland explains: "I guess I am part of the ‘blogging generation', at House of Holland we find our blog is a great way to connect with our customers, fans and brand ambassadors. Social media can be a great way to promote a business as long as you engage with it on a personal perspective as well - there is no point in blogging just to sell products - users are too savvy."

In our article ‘The voice of the stylish youth' Amplify explores this development into the online world in more detail.

The Right Experience
The panel of top fashionistas all have one thing in common. They are capitalising on internal and external environments to get noticed, and ultimately draw people into their stores.

Mark Hayes explains: "Spending most of my days on Oxford Street, the way a brand stands out and brings me in is by its window schemes. I love to be caught up by the excitement of it all. It's the truest representation of the brand's identity."

Gap takes that attention-grabbing approach a stage further by dramatising collections and promotions through interactive street experiences. But it chooses an integrated approach to ensure that campaign themes are consistent.

Take the global GAP holiday campaign in 2009. It focused on the theme of ‘cheer' and created a website for visitors to exchange messages of cheer with family and friends. Another dimension was then added to the campaign in the form of high street performers spreading ‘GAP Christmas cheer' and offering thirty per cent discount. The campaign generated immediate results through an increase in the store's footfall and product sales.

Taking events inside, in-store events still play a key-role, and can be particularly influential and informative. To celebrate their 40th birthday GAP created a retro 1969 pop-up store as well as a limited edition collection and themed online presence.

Making the Customer Feel Special
Retailers can't just win people over by the clothes they sell. They need to do more to ensure their customers choose their stores over others.

Innovation and creativity are the key factors that define a successful customer loyalty program. The best programs don't just stop at loyalty rewards, cards and discounts. Instead, they constantly work at building a lasting relationship with the customer through various initiatives like customised loyalty cards, magazines, a birthday card or voucher and special occasions such as member-only events.

Endorsements & Collaborations
As our thirst for designer products and fascination with celebrity grows collaborations are becoming a clever branding tool. GMTV stylist Mark Hayes, who showcases new high street collections, confesses to preferring designer collaborations over celebrity ones. He admits: "It's great for people to be able to own a piece of clothing from one of their favourite designers that they normally wouldn't be able to afford!"

Celebrities, too, are increasingly using their influence to launch personal collections, sometimes with the backing of high street retailers. A-liststars such as Kate Moss (Topshop), actress Sadie Frost (Frost French), plump Gossip vocalist Beth Ditto (Evans) and the king of cool, Pharrell Williams
(Billionaires Boys Club), are all dipping their toes in the fashion and design world.

But that isn't always a good thing for the brands. Oasis brand communication manager Caroline Bradley explains the pros and cons: "The pros obviously include the ability [of the celebrities] to capitalise on their already established media profile to enhance brand awareness. The cons are that the celebrity name can become bigger than the brand. The danger then lies in customers losing sight of who the brand is and what it stands for and as you no doubt will have seen recently, once that celebrity goes out of fashion or favour the rub off effect can damage the brand."

Limited Editions
One company that has taken collaboration to another level is men's fashion and lifestyle website, Oki-Ni. They often produce limited edition ranges and act as a catalyst - bringing unlikely brands together for stellar collections, such as their recent Stussy and Fred Perry hook up.

The Final Verdict
So, considering tighter budgets, do our experts agree on a winning formula in pulling together a coherent campaign? One thing stands out. Our experts believe the campaigns, like the collections, should be held together by a theme or vision, and the marketing should be as tailored as the ranges.

Caroline Bradley confirms: "It's important to understand that marketing does not stop at ads in magazines or commercials on TV. The world of marketing should be as dynamic as the world of fashion. Given the choice of an event, digital, PR or advertising - I would take them all! What's more important is a coherently and correctly weighted package integrated both above and below the line."

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