Fashion has become so tied in with entertainment that everyone everywhere is exposed to it’s nuances. Fashion is no longer considered a urban awareness…it’s universal; it has pervaded all levels of society with its visual appeal.
Fashion in a sense reflects how you feel about yourself.
Branding is the extension of this. The essence of the brand has to be communicated so loud that everyone can hear, and so resonant that everyone can feel. The more distinct and pronounced the statement, the more people remember who you are. The degree of distinction is the fashion quotient. This is style.
We can relate this to any product, but it is especially significant with cars. An automobile is brought to life wrapped in a coat of style. Surely the "swoon" of style can add value to the feel of the car. Fashion is the sense of fun, the personal connection with the car.
The American auto industry is going through great pains to accommodate the changes our environment requires, regardless of what we desire. That means, for American automobiles, creating awareness is going to be about creating a sense of desire to stay competitive in the marketplace and move us unwillingly into becoming a smaller car nation. So, sometimes fashion desires and perceptions need to bent and blended into a shape that fits the realities of the situation.
The Internet is a good place to do that reshaping. As marketers, we shouldn’t underestimate the Internet presence of any brand, both as created by the brand and as created by the users of the brand. The online environment is a key location to change perception about the feel, the quality and the services associated with a brand, product or company..
I use the auto industry as an example but this is true with any product in any price range or size. An unusual relationship between the product and the customer can be created on the Internet. The Internet has a number of seductive creative tools that can be implemented to elicit that emotional connection between the consumer and the product at the point of purchase. We walk through the aisles of our favorite retail emporium and our heartbeat quickens as we see all of the appealing merchandise on either side of us. The Internet can effectively elicit that same emotion with the right combination of creative features. If you have defined your online audience with the proper measurement tools and efficiently sorted out the data related to your online audience, you can begin communicating and servicing their needs in a very personalized manner. You can customize products for them. You can offer services and information and engaging promotions that go beyond anything they have known before. And you know about their interests because you can ask them. It is the access to specific areas of interest that makes you valuable to your customers.
Magazines can present luscious pictures of the essence of a brand, television can go even further with movement, music and desirable characters. Retail stores can make the seduction three dimensional; the product can be touched and felt. But the Internet brings access right into the bedrooms of your audience. The seduction and the point of purchase are available at the consumer’s personal whim and convenience, wherever they may be.
No matter how many stores you have, or what your advertising budget is, whether you are Wal-Mart or the woman down the block selling handmade knick-knacks, you can offer purchasing access to more people on your website than anywhere else. Anything new I heard about, any new resource that I should know about, can immediately be accessed through the web, where I can instantly see what all the buzz is about. So the Internet becomes Swoon Central for anyone selling a product.
Swoon Central is defined as the most accessible and appealing location you can have. The Internet qualifies hands down. The Swoon Factor is that illusive thrill and sense of style that creates the appeal. This will only become more important as technology evolves. Fashion is a potent elixir in establishing the swoon factor. So, when you look at the space your brand is occupying online, make sure it's located in the neighborhood of Swoon Central and your customers will always come back for more.
Joan Abraham, Digital AE & Fashion Fan
