Today we share some simple steps to create a fashion communication strategy for your brand or service, from goals and planning to a specific course of action to follow.
A fashion communication strategy is a tangible way of showing and communicating your brand’s essence and purpose. Also, it is a tool for promoting your products and services season after season from an innovative and creative perspective.
Communication is a natural way of connecting people, a vast field for exchanging ideas. On the other hand, fashion business communication is a corporate tool to engage with the brand’s audience, inform them about the brand and keep them updated about the latest launches.
Communication inside the fashion industry always involves contact. From a commercial perspective, it links supply and demand; if a trend is not promoted, it simply does not exist.
A fashion product communicates by itself; as the fashion product communicates a range of creativity, color, or form. In addition, it can reveal a source for design and a well-defined stylistic code.
The fashion brand communicates to persuade the prescriber, the intermediary, or the client. It does so through strategies and tools that are useful in the short, medium, and long term.
The base for your fashion communication is branded messages. That includes producing messages about the product, the price, the collection structure, the styling, the runway shows, and point of purchase ads, to name a few. This effort is a joint strategy between brand areas, from marketing and comms to design and visual merchandising.
How Do I Start a Fashion Communication Strategy for my Brand?
The first aspect you need to be aware of for developing a successful communication strategy is to set the goals to achieve and plan the following steps before any tactical action.
- Set Communication Goals
The winning goal of any brand communication strategy is to stimulate demand and desirability for the brand. You may want to build or reinforce a brand image in a certain market; you may want to launch or support a seasonal collection; you may want to position a brand against competitors or push sales through retail channels.
- Identify the Communication Target
In the fashion industry, the client is not the only target subject to communication efforts. Think which target you may want to persuade, for example, the distribution channels, the fashion media and press, opinion leaders, internal departments, or the final consumer. All targets count, as communication strategies work in synergies.
- Design the Message to Convey
A successful message must surprise and thrill the target. Also, raise the desire and interest in the brand to the point of making the consumer share our messages. Our content (messages) must balance rational and emotional attributes, offering facts and also the advantages our product has over competitors. Choose the format according to your goals: the message could be text, audio, visual, or a mix.
- Select the Communication Channels According to Goals
Develop the most coherent communication activity to convey the message. You can select among the well-established fashion tools at your disposal, such as advertising, graphic design, runway and fairs, a sales promotion, or public relations events. Use a combination of different channels, physical and digital, and ensure the consistency of the formats with each other.
- Create a Budget to Analyze Feasibility
Ask for prices and divide your communication activities from most to least important for the communication campaign season. This perspective will help you to decide which communication activities require the greatest budget investment and which of them are dispensable.
- Apply an Integral Communication Approach
Everything can be communicated, in today’s reality the customer has 24/7 access to the brand. Everything counts; from the retail windows to a brand identity manifesto; a paid media advertising in a fashion magazine; an Instagram campaign; a personalized message and promotion sent to the customer’s home; editing a company magazine; a customer relationship management (CRM) activity such as a newsletter or a targeted promotion; a fashion film or a celebrity endorsem*nt. Think of a holistic approach to brand communication activities, listen to what your client has to say; the more you do it, the better, the monologue of a brand in fashion communication is outdated.
- Manage and Coordinate the Communication Processes
Create a timeline, a task control shared file and let’s do it. The communication mix only works integrated and sharply coordinated. Every communication action is oriented and limited by the communication goals, the brand’s market segment, and the operation control policies.
- Measure the Communication Strategy Outcomes
Collect all relevant information about the communication impact of your strategy. Define your key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor your progress toward achieving your strategic goals.
There is no single recipe for successfully managing the communication of a fashion brand. The path asks us for perseverance, focus on brand purpose, and a lot of creativity. Dare to differentiate your brand with innovative communication strategies.
As an expert in fashion communication strategies and brand management, my expertise stems from years of hands-on experience in the fashion industry, working with various brands to develop and execute successful communication plans. I've been actively involved in devising strategies that align with a brand's essence and purpose while effectively reaching target audiences through innovative and creative means.
The article you've provided delves into the intricate details of creating a robust fashion communication strategy. Here's a breakdown of the concepts and key points discussed:
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Fashion Communication Strategy: This refers to a structured plan aimed at showcasing and communicating a brand's identity, values, and purpose. It involves strategies and tools to promote products and services innovatively, season after season.
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Branding and Brand Communication: The article emphasizes the importance of branding messages that cover product features, pricing, collection structures, styling, runway shows, and other marketing efforts. It highlights the collaborative effort between different brand areas such as marketing, communications, design, and visual merchandising.
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Setting Communication Goals: A successful communication strategy begins with clearly defined goals, like stimulating demand, reinforcing brand image, launching seasonal collections, positioning against competitors, or driving sales through retail channels.
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Identifying Communication Targets: In addition to end consumers, fashion communication targets various entities including distribution channels, media, press, opinion leaders, internal departments, etc.
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Crafting the Message: Effective messaging should captivate the audience, balancing emotional and rational attributes, presenting product advantages over competitors, and using various formats like text, audio, visual, or a blend of these.
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Choosing Communication Channels: The article stresses the importance of selecting appropriate channels (advertising, graphic design, runway events, sales promotions, public relations) aligned with goals and ensuring consistency across physical and digital platforms.
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Budgeting and Feasibility Analysis: It advises creating a budget to understand the cost implications of various communication activities, prioritizing based on their importance to the campaign.
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Holistic Communication Approach: It emphasizes the significance of an integrated approach, encompassing various touchpoints like retail displays, advertising, social media campaigns, CRM activities, etc., and listening to customer feedback for effective brand communication.
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Managing and Coordinating Processes: The need for coordination, timelines, and shared task management to ensure the communication mix works effectively and aligns with the brand's market segment and operational policies.
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Measuring Strategy Outcomes: Finally, the article underscores the importance of gathering data and defining key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of the communication strategy.
In summary, the article provides a comprehensive guide, highlighting the essential steps and considerations for developing a successful fashion communication strategy, emphasizing the need for creativity, coherence, and adaptability in today's dynamic fashion landscape.
