Fashion Marketing and Trickle-Down Theory (PDF)

# CHARTER 5 ## Trickle-Down Theory Consumers who adopt fashion based on the fashion marketing efforts of the entertainment industry are representative of the (trickle-down theory). - Fashion worn by the upper class are ultimately adopted by the middle class, then by lower class. This states tha...

# CHARTER 5 ## Trickle-Down Theory Consumers who adopt fashion based on the fashion marketing efforts of the entertainment industry are representative of the (trickle-down theory). - Fashion worn by the upper class are ultimately adopted by the middle class, then by lower class. This states that those with wealth, status, and appearance set the fashion trend. By the time the fashion begins to trickle down, the fashion is considered either stable (e.g. becoming classic) or old. Suggests consumers with wealth, status, and appearance set the fashion trend. ## Celebrities Celebrities' opinions and use of fashions help market and influence consumers' adoption of fashion. ### Celebrity Lines Some entertainers have become invested in the marketing of their own fashion line. - The level of involvement each person has in the development of the efforts varies. - They are not actively designing the fashion in the traditional sense. The twenty-first century has seen the most significant growth of celebrities' marketing fashion based on their fame. - **Jessica Simpson** had a rocky start in the music and reality show businesses; within only a few years, she placed her name on footwear, handbags, wigs... - **Sean John** - **Martha Stewart** - **Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen** ## Spokespersons Entertainers are often employed as spokespersons for fashion products. - Not having their own brand, being a spokesperson simply means they endorse the brand. This type of marketing effort focuses around the celebrity stating that he or she wears the fashion or uses the product. (Spokespersons): Individuals who are instantly recognized around the world. Their fans consider their lifestyle glamorous, exciting, fun, exotic, or unattainable because of their stardom. - Often times, very few words are included in a celebrity-endorsed print advertisement. (The products are featured next to the entertainer's face.) The company may include a clause in the fashion marketing contract that the entertainers: - Wear the brand a predetermined number of times. - Avoid patronizing the competition. - Publically state his or her commitment to the product. - Use her/his face and voice in the marketing effort. - Wear the product to prominent events such as runway shows. ## Special Appearances Special appearances of entertainers - on the red carpet, in music videos, or in television talk shows - offer fashion marketers the opportunity to showcase their product to a large audience. The positive response to a garment and/or accessory can bring widespread consumer acceptance and purchasing behavior, increased loyalty toward a particular designer, and inspire merchandise knockoffs. ## Knockoffs Expensive, high-quality products worn by entertainers are frequently (and immediately) copied for the mass market. - They represent a secondary market for fashion marketers. Consumers can feel like they have a part of the celebrity status without paying the big-ticket price tag. ## Print Exposure The magazine show the fashions in a controlled environment. ### Benefits: - Ability to control how the celebrity looks in the fashions. - High (circulation) the number of sold copies each month. - Tangible and visible attributes (for evaluation and comparison). - Lasting viewing opportunities. ## Supermodels The invention of the supermodel helped build anticipation for the fashion industry. Supermodels began in the 1990s and catapulted the status of the fashion. Supermodels have the power to increase sales of the fashion they are wearing simply by their status. The picture of a supermodel wearing a designer's garment is worth a million dollars in free publicity. ## Royalty When discussing fashion, the term royalty may be placed in a variety of contexts (the word is indicative of a person of royal blood). - The royalty is about watching fashions worn by royalty, popularized by royal person such as Lady Diana. Influence high fashions and trickle-down fashions. ## Movies Fashion and accessories helped shape actors on screen personalities and images and promoted merchandise to the viewing audience. Movies are particularly important to the fashion industry because consumers: - Watch the movie multiple times. - Compare opinion with others. - Ability to examine its fashion in each scene. ### Examples of movies that successfully promoted fashion: - The Devil Wears Prada - Pretty Woman - 27 Dresses - Sweet Home Alabama ## Award Shows and Books The award season brings glamour, high fashion, diamonds, and the latest hair and makeup. Watching the celebrities walk the red carpet has become a more popular event than the actual award. Fashions are analyzed from every vantage point. - Each strand of hair is evaluated regarding its ability to enhance the game. - The size, quality, and brand of diamonds, emeralds, and rubies are discussed in relation to the wearer's eyes, hair color, and stature. - Days later, they continue talking about the fashion triumphs and tragedies. - Fashion designers and jewelers' names are continually repeated during these conversations. Throughout the award shows, designers are adapting the couture designs for the mass market. - Lines are simplified, the amount of fabric is minimized, and less expensive fabrics are identified. Fashion is designed, manufactured, and marketed based on the similarities they have to those worn by celebrities. (Non-fiction book) A story written about a designer is a bibliography. ## Television Television is considered an excellent opportunity to showcase fashion. (People watch 6h and 47min) → A study. It offers sight, sound, action, and the occasion to incorporate celebrities. TV shows are made to look effortless and real. The clothing worn and the combination of accessories are carefully selected; together, they help portray the personality of the characteristic's. The effective use of fashion is one method to reach a high viewers. Where this strategy builds the brand awareness. This fashion correspondents serve multiple purposes: - Help the show writers know which portions of the show are particularly popular with the audience. - The actors are promoting fashion directly or indirectly. - The actors have an excellent point to talk about when they appear as a guest on a talk show. The more a television show is accepted, and the more people watch and talk about a show, the greater the probability fashion-conscious consumer will evaluate the clothing and product used in the show. Marketing fashion through the TV shows is often more successful than a series of 30-60 second commercials. ## Entertainment as Fashion Marketing Tool The success of a show or the popularity of a character may result in the fashion being adopted nationally or internationally. ## Soap Operas Daytime and evening soap operas shows have long dressed their actors in high fashion. The fashion plays an integral role in the marketing of the show. The actors, and the plot, were in turn, the fashion worn on the show stimulate sales in stores, catalogs, and the internet. ## Reality Shows Here were the viewers are offered more versions of "reality" than ever before in the history of TV. Reality shows have significantly influenced how everyday people get involved in the fashion industry and how television viewers interact with fashion marketers. "Armchair fashionistas" → An armchair fashionista is a person who is not in the fashion business, but thoroughly enjoys watching and critiquing fashion. ## Books Books can be classified into: 1. **Nonfiction** → Books contain information is factual. - Contains biographies, business, and self-improvement. 2. **Fiction** → Contain information that most often comes from the author's imagination. These books are intended to be read for pleasure and for enlightenment. ### Fashion in Biographies and Autobiographies - **(Biographies)** → A story written about a designer. - **(Autobiographies)** → A life story written by the same fashion designer that the book is about. Regardless of who writes the story, consumers worldwide are eager to learn about the rise, struggles, glamour, and sometimes, fall of fashion designers. People read them for two reasons: - To see the life of rich, famous, and fabulous people. - To learn from and about the subject of these books. ### Fashion in Fiction Are typically made-up stories that may or may not reflect the real world. It includes both literary and purely pleasurable mysteries, love stories, dramas, fantasies, thrillers, and many books that merge these genres. ## Belongingness Theory States that people need social acceptance. Consumers who follow entertainers and celebrities' fashions have a sense of belonging through a parasocial relationship. That is, when consumers adopt similar or identical fashions worn and/or promoted by celebrities, they feel like part of the celebrity's life (belonging). Fashion magazines depict the belongingness theory when they provide photos of celebrities using fashion products and then provide information where customers can purchase the product either at full price or for less. A popular segment in magazines shows consumers how to get the celebrity look for less. This type of fashion article promotes the parasocial relationship with celebrities and their fashion.