Fashion branding has been undergoing substantial structural realignment in recent years. This is linked, among other factors, to the growing marketing coverage of the multiples and the influence of business models which use sophisticated technology and streamlined product sourcing to achieve a much shorter fashion cycle. Despite this concentration, smaller firms, operated by managers with adaptability and vision, have occupied a niche where the priority is differentiation. To deal with these conditions, the customer focus, which is fundamental to the implementation of the marketing concept, remains central to successful retail management. The study of Fashion Branding offers engagement with customer and competitor analysis, leading to an understanding of the market context which, in turn, underpins well-founded strategy formulation. The building blocks of marketing planning – segmentation, targeting and positioning – lay the foundations for completion of the marketing planning process within both wholesale and retail channels.
Analysing the fashion retailing environment
Influential forces in the external environment
Performing a strategic audit
Gathering and analysing marketing information
Understanding fashion markets
Consumers’ shopping motivations and behaviour
Segmentation and Targeting Strategies for Fashion Retailers
The challenges of segmenting fashion markets
Positioning the fashion retailer
Customer profile and store image
Store loyalty
The Fashion Retail Brand
Rationale for brand building
Retail fashion brand architecture
Framework for development
Criteria for success
Ethical Issues in Fashion Brand Management
Communicating the fashion offer
Information needs of target audiences
Informational and transformational messages
Planning marketing communications programmes
Digital Marketing Strategy
| Keynote lectures will cover the main theoretical aspects of the module. These will be supported by class discussions, case studies and video material. Guest lecturers will be used when available to deepen learners’ knowledge of the practical aspects of fashion marketing. Students will be supported to undertake self-directed learning through the provision of guided readings, cases and articles from appropriate international marketing and fashion journals in order to consolidate and expand on the material covered in lectures. |
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 50 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 50 |