1. Fashion Advertising has changed immensely since the mid-twentieth century. The way the ads are designed to the way we view them has changed dramatically. In the early 20’s people didn’t advertise as much because there was no real way to get the ads out except for putting them in catalogs. Many people listened to the radio and heard about products that way. When the TV was invented and started to be placed in people’s homes companies began creating real advertisements. The looks of the ads began as black and white and have continued to get more colorful and intricate as the years went on. There were always fads that advertising creators fell into whether it be simplistic looking or a certain type of font. Examples of this would be the ads of before the 1950’s compared to the ads after the 1950’s. Before the 1950’s ad focused on the features and benefits of the products. “During what is known as the modern period, function and use value were emphasized in fashion. Consumers were influenced by practicality, style, fabrication, and availability of products that were new to them”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg. 14) After World War II advertisers created the “American Dream” and created ads around this theme to help them sell products. “The concept of “keeping up with the Joneses” became popular as consumers tried to outdo one another through home improvements, automobiles, and fashion.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.15) Today advertising is everywhere! We are bombarded with over 3,000 ads on a daily basis! Because of our ever growing technological advances ads are readily available for us to see at any time. Ads have become very intricate even down to being interactive with the consumer. Many companies are trying to create ways for consumers to use their brand in every aspect of the consumer’s life.
2. There are many theories to fashion branding but who is really right? “The main function of fashion branding is to provide a structure that uses images and language to impact a meaning to retail products.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.24) Company’s main goal is to sell product. They have to find a way to communicate a message to consumers that they need to purchase that product. “Judith Williamson believes that advertisement sell more than just the consumer goods in the ads. The connection between the consumer and product are made by providing a structure, method, and function for using a product.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.25) Many professionals have realized that in our consumerist society it is not really about the important staple pieces in our wardrobe but more about the branding used to sell the clothing. Us as consumers want to brand ourselves by wearing specific brands. Companies that realized this early on have been the front runners for developing lifestyle merchandising. These brands include Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein. “Corporations clearly need to fine tune their focus on the consumer psyche and understand the importance of constantly evolving trends in their consumer’s lifestyles.”(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.29) Many of these contemporary ideas were thought up by Hamilton, Debord, Agins, Gobe, McCracken, and Barthes and Baurdrillard.
3. Grand McCracken research emphasizes that studying clothing is essential to understanding the cultural evolution of society. According to McCracken “meaning moves from the culturally constituted world to the gatekeepers of consumer goods to the individual consumers, all three add meaning to a brand as it passes t through their domains. “(Brand Story, Joseph Hancock, Pg.30) He identifies nine different types of meanings that are usually targeted by companies: gender, lifestyle, decade, age, class and status, occupation, time and place, value, and fad fashion, and trend meanings. Once a company knows all this about its consumer it begins to get easier to market their product accordingly. I definitely agree with McCracken! If you do not know all of this information about your consumers there is no way you can begin to understand them how best to sell yourself to them. An example how this helps is gender and age. If companies can define the gender and age of their target market it will help them out immensely.
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