Ruixin Zhou

Brands present their brand image and corporate values to their audience in a way that allows consumers to understand the brand and establish a connection between the corporate values. Businesses develop their positioning to articulate and communicate the value of their brand to their target markets and customers (Liao et al., 2023). When a brand establishes it‘s positioning, it typically ensures the following; firstly, the target markets and customers; secondly, what the quality benefits are and the impacts that brand’s goods and services can deliver to consumers; and thirdly, the basis for such benefits and impact (Papadopoulou et al., 2023). After establishing their brand positioning through the above three points, different brands communicate the value proposition of their brand value that enables the brand to stand out from its competitors and, more importantly, provide this brand value to its customers.

Brand value positioning is essential for organisations to share the value their brand clearly delivers to customers. The brand philosophy can be realised internally through the brand positioning statement and externally through the various marketing programmes developed by the brand and through the products developed by the brand, spokespersons and partners that can directly represent its brand values (Li et al., 2022).  For instance, McDonald’s is one company that has a very significant brand presence, it’s mission is convenience and is happy to offer the most basic food items, namely fries, burgers, and colas (initially milkshakes), and become loyal and repeat McDonald’s customers. Raymond Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s. Its vision for McDonald’s was to become the world’s leading fast food company (Wilson et al., 2023). The company insisted on advocating the basic idea of serving consumers better. “Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value” are the corporate values of McDonald’s Corporation, and they have never changed (Wilson et al., 2023). McDonald’s Corporation’s homogeneity, standardisation, logo with huge yellow double-tapping doors and the well-known “Ronald McDonald” image are the critical conditions for McDonald’s Corporation to become the leading company in the global food and beverage market.

There’s a common saying in the consumer arena that “25 is a forever opportunity for consumer goods.” While the Gen Z generation focuses on the brand’s uniqueness, Gen Z’s diffuse thinking and high level of inclusivity mean that the brand values will keep them returning for more (Gomes et al., 2023). Many brands communicate their brand image and values through adverts and spokespersons. Products can also be used as a way tocommunicate brand values. For example, many luxury brands have begun to reduce the use of animal hides and skins to communicate environmental protection; Starbucks’ cups and straws are designed to reflect the company’s environmental philosophy. In addition, brands will establish charitable foundations and other functions; in addition to tax avoidance, it also conveys positive brand energy to consumers.

References

Anne, W., Isabel F., Daniel E. S., Werner, H., Pedro, R. (2023) “Hugh Robson MacDonald (1946–2023)”, Immunity, Volume 56, Issue 5,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2023.04.018.

Christina, P., Merve V., Pejvak O. (2023) “Examining the relationships between brand authenticity, perceived value, and brand forgiveness: The role of cross-cultural happiness”, Journal of Business Research, Volume 167, ISSN 0148-2963,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114154.

Junyun, L., Jiecong, P., Xuebing, D. (2023) “More gain, more give? The impact of brand community value on users’ value co-creation”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Volume 74, ISSN 0969-6989,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103389.

Sofia, G., Joao, M., Sonia, N. (2023) “Willingness to pay more for green products: A critical challenge for Gen Z”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 390, ISSN 0959-6526,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136092.

Zhenhao, L., Hong, Y., Jing, X. (2022) “How to adopt mass customization strategy: Understanding the role of consumers’ perceived brand value”, Computers & Industrial Engineering, Volume 173, ISSN 0360-8352, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2022.108666.

To successfully run a company, the core of the business is profitability. A “handsome” cash flow and unique design of the products will be the brightness of the competition’s ability. This blog will introduce the size and the various sectors’ performance of the fashion industry first, then conduct the mainstream competitiveness in the economic cycle, and the connections between the creative and the commercial.

According to the Statista Database, the total revenue of the global market was around 1.52 trillion USD in 2022, which has slightly declined from the last year. The majority of the apparel retail market is in China, the US, the UK, Germany and Japan. The China and the US play a significant role of the global clothing market, that is, China is the largest clothing exporter, and the US is the most substantial importer of the world. The following is the worldwide apparel and footwear market size and yoy growth rate (Mckinsey annual forecast report, 2022)

LVMH Group occupies the largest capitalization of the clothing industry around the world, which is around 367 billion USD. Nike with a market cap of 216 billion USD ranked in second place, and was claimed as the most valuable brand of sportswear for the seventh year in 2021. Besides, the brand value of the leading 10 most valuable luxury brands worldwide in 2022 as follow. The LVHM group leading the top position in both the clothing industry and the luxury.

In recent years, there have been changes in consumer preferences – coupled with brands actively catering to consumer needs – and a new paradigm in the luxury goods industry has gradually emerged. In addition to emphasizing traditional features such as authenticity, reliability, and excellence, new elements such as functionality, integrity, sustainability, and innovation have also been added to the program. Given the emergence of this new paradigm, taking luxury brands as an example, the following points need to be noted:

1) Targeting mega cities and expanding to emerging cities

2) Respect local culture

3) Pursuing a sense of mission (creating products that can leverage social currency functionality)

4) Creating a digital shopping experience

5) Utilize the growth trend of Generation Z

6) Understand the needs of emerging consumer profiles.

For large luxury brands and influential market brands, the main profit margin lies in the brand’s influence, which is the logo. Thus, the creative directors of such brands have less influence on their products than the logo itself. But many luxury brands set limits on high-end products with showcases or private customization and sell them to VIP customers with purchasing qualifications. Classic models are sold to ordinary customers, and luxury brands are different from other brands, with rarity as their main selling point. There are many designer brands now, and these clothing are generally niche, unique, but expensive. Its main selling point lies in the uniqueness of the design.

Gen Z has adapted to the internet since childhood and is accustomed to and proficient in using social media and various new technology products. They not only have amazing diversity but also look forward to more uniqueness while embracing diversity. In addition, they have strong inclusivity and treat every category of people equally. In other words, Gen Z has the strongest patience and learning ability. As of 2020, Gen Z accounted for 40% of the total number of consumers, and 59% of Gen Z stated that they believe in brands that accompany their growth (Guo and Luo, 2023).

Gen Z is born with piercing eyes and is a digital expert. They can easily tell brieflywhether it’s real or fake, and they are also difficult to be satisfied. If a brand wants to approach this large consumer group, it is compulsory to consider the following points: 

1. Be adaptable.

2. Treat each other sincerely. 

3. Provide personalized services. 

4. Seize the opportunity. 

5. Tailor a unique marketing plan for Gen Z. 

6. Properly communicate values.

Hollie Harding, the procurement manager at Browns, experienced that “young consumers rush into the store, holding their phones to display photos saved from Instagram, and want to buy a brand bag that I haven’t even heard of. Finally, they found that the bags that were asked the most were from new brands such as Mansur Gavriel, Staud, Wandler, Telfar, By Far, etc., rather than old fashions. After long-term neglect of the digital revolution and the GenZ community, many retailers and established brands have been trying to understand their interests and habits in the past few years. Even luxury brands have seen many immediate new models in recent years, with exaggerated designs and bold colour schemes all aimed at attracting the new Gen Z consumers.

In summary, the biggest feature that attracts Gen Z is uniqueness, but this uniqueness needs to convey a uniqueness that aligns with mainstream values and is meaningful in the realistic world. Publicity is also important, especially in terms of internet effects, as Instagram and TikTok have powerful marketing effects.

Reference

Wenshan G., Qiangqiang L., 2023. “Investigating the impact of intelligent personal assistants on the purchase intentions of Generation Z consumers: The moderating role of brand credibility”. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Volume 73.103353, ISSN 0969-6989,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103353.

The fashion industry is currently the second largest source of pollution after the petrochemical industry. According to the United Nations prediction, the consumption of the fashion industry will surge from 62 million tons to 102 million tons. If the global population reaches 6.5 billion by 2030, the fashion industry will occupy the top spot in environmental pollution.

There are three pillars of the SDGs, which including economy, society, and environment. The economy is one of the core pillars of sustainable development. Its role in sustainable development can be described as a ‘lifeline’. Only a healthy economic situation can ensure the prosperity and sustainable development of society. Society is another pillar of sustainable development. Social development is not only closely related to economic conditions, but also requires inclusiveness and promotion of lifestyles of all social classes, as well as communication between different cultures (Ahmed et al., 2021). The environment is an indispensable pillar in sustainable development. Environmental protection is not only about ecological protection, but also closely related to human health and economic conditions. A beautiful natural environment can bring better human life. The three pillars of sustainable development are not only isolated, but also interdependent and interdependent with each other. We need to consider all aspects comprehensively to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

Circular economy, which reconstructs the economic system according to the laws of material circulation and energy flow in natural ecosystems. Based on the concept of sustainable development, the production process of implementing comprehensive utilization of energy and its waste in a clean production manner (Mejias et al., 2019). Circular economy is the necessary path to achieve SDGs.

According to the Earth’s Pledge, at least 8000 chemicals are used as raw materials in the manufacturing of textiles. In addition, the use of pesticides in non-organic cotton cultivation accounts for 25% of the global usage. These damages to the Earth and humans are irreversible, and 2/3 of carbon emissions continue to occur even after purchasing clothing. Also, the processing of clothing fabrics consumes tens of gallons of water, particularly during the fabric dyeing process. which need 2.4 trillion gallons of water (Fernandes et al., 2019). The lack of water resources affects 1/3 of the population on each continent. Therefore, if sustainable design solutions are adopted to optimize the product processing process in the clothing industry, it will bring incalculable benefits to humans and the environment.

SDG 6 proposes to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030. In most countries that produce clothing, untreated toxic wastewater from textile mills is directly dumped into rivers. Wastewater contains harmful substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. These substances are extremely harmful to the health of aquatic organisms and millions of people living along riverbanks. Wastewater will also enter the ocean and eventually spread to various parts of the world. Another major source of water pollution is the use of fertilizers in cotton production, which seriously pollutes runoff and evaporation water.Faced with such an alarming problem of water pollution, we can not only choose to give away clothes to avoid waste, but also choose clothes made of organic and natural fibers that do not require chemical production.

References

Ahmed, A.A., Nazzal, M.A., Darras, B.M., 2021. Cyber-Physical Systems as an Enabler of Circular Economy to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals: A Comprehensive Review. Int. J. Prec. Eng. Manuf.-Green Technol. 1–21.

Fernandes S, Lucas J, Madeira M J, et al. “Exponential system strategy for sustainability in fashion design”. Procedia CIRP, 2019(84): 447 – 450

Mejias A M, Bellas R, Pardo J E, et al. “Traceability management systems and capacity building as new approaches for improving sustainability in the fashion multi-tier supply chian”. Internationa Journal of Production Economics. 2019, 22(3): 143 – 158

Aniye Records was founded in Italy by creative director Alessandra Marchi. The brand’s design style is just like Alessandra Marchi said “Femininity is always celebrated, it’s very important to me. Everything is like this, sexy, irreverent but always elegant. ” Because of its own unique style attracted countless fashionable women to pursue.

The overall brand style is rebellious, rock and roll, cool and hot feeling is the main, but without lacking in visual sophistication and beauty . This is a stark difference from other mainstream Italian brands. In many people’s minds, women are expected to dress elegantly at all times, but the Aniye Records brand utilises a lot of bondage elements to reflect the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, using exaggerated metal accessories to represent rebellious sentiments, the use of a large number of lace elements, cleverly integrated into it, which can be neutralised and the unique tenderness of women to be reflected.

Aniye Records is a brand that focuses on women’s glamour, and as you can see from the many pictures, the brand’s designs are slightly edgy and modern, with many unique lace camisoles and flowing babydoll dresses that are designed to reflect women’s glamour. The embroidery and patterns on the clothes were exquisite. Apart from the dress itself, the most eye-catching part was his accessories, with many exaggerated half-metal ones. The Aniye Records dresses are a perfect combination of sweet girlie style and punk. The tight black dresses that many young people like, the red fluffy dresses with the Aniye Records design, have a unique character. Many of the skirts in the black collection were paired with thigh high boots for an overall playful look. The brand’s tops are easy to match with jeans, and many will find the brand’s lines very obvious. But whether it’s loose or tight, it’s just right, and it’s a different visual experience.

Each collection at Aniye Records has a very specific name like this year’s Autumn/Winter collection, Gothic Ghosts, which is a very bold horror theme. Even the spring/summer collection was inspired by the Vampirella cartoon. The first thing that strikes people when they see the name is the surprise, the anticipation of how the spooky qualities will be incorporated into it. The brand’s use of white and light colours can also bring out the rock ‘n’ roll style through leather clothing.

aniye records is a brand that, in both design and thought, reflects the avant-garde and fashionable style of most punks.