(Fashion)
Marketing encourages desire and aspiration through the construction of images
of perfection. Is this acceptable?
Does the
fashion industry use the idea of perfection to sell their products? How does
this affect the consumer? Fashion superbrands must sell their clothing,
products and services, to do this they use tried and tested marketing
techniques. One technique is to use imagery, which sees products with a
‘perfect’ setting or context. One argument against this method is that these
superbrands are bombarding consumers with images that are unrealistic.
Consumers aspire to recreate the images of perfection and in order to do that,
they consume said products. However, in reality is it possible to buy
‘perfection.’ Is this type of assumption ethical?
Christian
Dior was born in Granville, a seaside town on the coast of France, on the 21st
of January 1905. The House of Dior was founded on the 16th of
December 1946 and was financially backed by Marcel Boussac, a businessman. Christian
Dior died on the 1957 in Italy, aged 52. His obituary in The Times stated he
died of a heart attack after playing cards.
With their designer gone, Dior promoted Yves Saint Laurent to head
designer, he had been working as an assistant since 1953, however he was called
into military duty in 1960. Marc Bohan took over until Gianfranco Ferre became
the head designer in 1989. John Galliano replaced Ferre in 1996. In 2011 John
Galliano was dismissed from Dior after making anti sematic comments in Paris
bar.
Dior use famous faces such as Sharon Stone, Natalie Portman, Kate Moss
and Charlize Theron to advertise their products. Sharon Stone promoted their
skin care line, showing a woman in her 40’s with great glowing skin, this
encourages mature women into the mind-set that is ’Sharon stone looks this good
at 40 because she uses these product then if I buy this product I’ll look great
too’. They seem to forget however this little thing called ‘Air-brushing’
Charlize
Theron advertises Dior’s J’Adore perfume. The advert begins with the idea of
luxury using the black and gold colours together, they show her stripping
herself of gold jewellery and a black dress, declaring them something she
doesn’t need, then when she has nothing left she simply says ‘J’Adore” it is
saying that the perfume is all she needs to feel complete, making the consumer
feel that the perfume will make them feel complete, maybe even perfect.
Natalie
Portman promotes their perfume Miss Dior. The advertisements for the perfumes
are similar to the J’Adore advertisements however, Miss Dior is less severe,
there is more pink and light colours but this is because it is aimed at a
younger audience, but the same message of ‘Miss Dior is all I need’ still
applies. They use the celebrities as a goal for normal women. The impact of
doing this can make women feel worthless and desire the products to make
themselves feel better about the fact that they might not be slim and pretty.
This is not acceptable because it uses a women’s own insecurities to fund an
industry built around the idea of beauty.
Dior is a
well-known product and the image they have created is celebrity and classic.
Their main marketing is focused on their mass-market products, the skincare,
makeup and perfume. Vogue and Elle advertise Dior products, making normal people
able to see their products. Vogue and Elle are higher fashion magazines with a
high fashion price so not everyone can buy them, almost creating an exclusive
club. Their advertising is either quite safe, the Miss Dior advertisement, or
luxurious, the J’Adore advertisement. Both contrast each other but also promote
Dior’s ability to relate to their audiences tastes and reach a wide demographic
in terms of age.
This is
another marketing superbrands use. These celebrities are celebrated, their
images of Kate Moss and Co. wearing Dior, will be seen around the world,
especially by the consumer. The next products that are slightly more
accessible, but still on the higher end of the pricing scale, these are the
sunglasses. These are products that give money back to Dior, but not as much as
the next products.
The
skincare, perfume and makeup range are mass-market products. They are
accessible to the general public with a wide range of variety.
They have also
begun to expand into men’s product, expanding their audience.
Dior is at
the maturity stage of its life cycle; it is at its peek and can afford to bring
out new products and they are such a massive brand that they have the smaller
products to keep them from going into decline. Consumers see celebrities that
are in the niche target group advertising the product and even though they
desire the niche products they settle for the products celebrities advertise
and products they can afford
Dior’s
target audience is mainly female’s with a flair for romanticism, feminism and
modernity. It does mainly aim at females with a high income, however they are
branching out to the ‘normal’ woman with their skincare, perfume and make up
products.
The brands technique is to promote the idea that Dior is all women need,
buying a product will somehow make their lives complete or ‘perfect’ in some
way. The do promote the idea of perfection by using celebrities that woman see
as role models. Natalie Portman for instance, is a mother and a wife but still
manages to look great. This can make women feel inadequate about themselves and
think that because she is adverting the product, she does use it. It gives
women an aim for almost impossible perfection.
Hollister is
a spin off brand from Abercrombie & Fitch, and like the other spin off
brands, they have a pseudo history. The story began with John M Hollister who
spent his childhood practising water sports in Maine. John then met and fell in
love with Meta Gilders. The couple sailed to LA and married. John M Hollister
Jr. was born on 1920. John Sr. started Hollister.Co in 1922 in Laguna Beach.
Hollister Co. sold imported goods from the South Pacific. John M Hollister Jr.
took over the company in 1953 and expanded the company.
Hollister is
marketed as being established in 1922, this is the date found on merchandise
even though the first Hollister shops were opened in July 2000.
Hollister
uses a ‘walking self marketing’ technique. Most of its merchandise has its name
on it, letting everyone know where the merchandise and if someone else should
see a customer wearing their name and like the design they have just gained a
new customer.
Their advertising shows teenage boys and
girls, all with model good looks, looking like they are either having the time
of their lives or that they are smouldering at the audience i.e. looking and
living perfect. It gives the consumer the impression that Hollister is a fun
and happy brand, and that everyone in Hollister is perfect and beautiful. They
give young people something to aspire too, however the impression that there
are people that are this good looking, it also can make consumers feel self
conscious about themselves and creates a warped sense of what people should
look like, especially when their target audience is the younger generation,
Teenagers and young adults between the ages 14-19, these are the ages that are
susceptible to influence because they are more influenced by there peers and
have the desire to fit in with them as well as the peer pressure of looking as
good, or even better, than their peers.
When the
models are also employees that in Hollister, walking in can makes some feel out
of place, and because of the good-looking people, consumers are less likely to
apply for jobs there. To work in
Hollister there is a ‘look policy’ females have to wear minimal makeup in natural
tones and have a ‘beach vibe’ style clothing. But although this is a good
marketing technique, it is important to remember that it is just a carefully
constructed marketing tool.
Hollister
promotes the idea of being cool and popular. They are able to make people feel
like they are exclusive, the models and the dark layout makes it seem like a
club and customers feel privileged to be allowed in. The fact that their
employees have a look policy, and the models are all something ridiculously
beautiful. The boys have washboard stomachs and the girls give the impression
of being naturally and effortlessly beautiful. But in reality not everyone
looks like Hollister’s idea of perfection, which can pressure young people into
doing things they can regret.
Both of
these brands do give the image of perfection in there own ways. For Dior, it
aims for women to be young and beautiful, and that Dior has the items to make
that happen. They give the impression that Dior is all that they need and that
it will do the job better than any other brand. But they don’t force perfection
on them, they use celebrities that woman can relate too and not feel inferior
too. Hollister on the other hand,
surrounds young people with images of perfection. The images in their
advertising and the employees working in the shops show young people that
perfection is available, but only at Hollister.
Both the
brands offer the idea of perfection, but clothing and makeup brands do this
anyway, because that is how they get their consumers into them, they all want
customers to continue buying their products and consumers keep buying because
they want to be perfect in the eyes of other people. People, women and young
people in particular will always strive for perfection and want to fit in but
that is how the world is now. The search for perfection is becoming normal.
Although it
is natural for people to desire things, the marketing doesn’t have to play o n
that desire to make money, it is not acceptable to use celebrities and models
that are paid to look happy and slim to advertise products with the subtle
indication that the product will make normal people perfect because there is no
such thing as perfection.
Bibliography
Dior -
Hollister –
