Advertising & Public Relations in the Fashion Industry

In the world of fashion, being known is of paramount importance. By making a name for your company through effective advertisement and public relations, you can make yourself known and make buyers eager to slip on the threads you peddle. For optimal effectiveness in accomplishing these tasks, tailor your efforts to the fashion industry, using techniques proven effective in this arena.

Credibility

Above all else, a company must be credible. It is the responsibility of the public relations department to establish and maintain this credibility. Often missteps make a company seem less than stellar. For example, an ill-advised advertising campaign with an emaciated model may cause an uproar, threatening the health of the company. Effective public relations workers can step in and overcome this challenge, doing damage control and getting the company back into the good graces of consumers. To do this, individuals in this department may elect to mount advertising campaigns that send messages of acceptance or release official statements on behalf of the company.

Image

For a fashion label to flourish, consumers must like the image that the label's garments create. For maximum effectiveness, fashion marketers should select a niche and stick with it, tailoring their advertising to appeal to the individuals who would wear clothing of that type. For example, if a company elects to adopt a rock-and-roll image, it may find success in advertising in publications that individuals who would attempt to adopt this image would read, such as music industry magazines.

Celebrity Endorsement

Celebrity endorsements can strengthen a label and make buyers even more eager to step into the clothes that fill the line. Using a celebrity in a fashion advertising campaign can make the brand name stick in the minds of the customers and likely make them more eager to wear the garments the idol is selling. When using celebrity endorsements, many companies rotate relatively quickly through celebrity endorsers, reports Ruth La Ferla for The New York Times, as customers seem to almost expect a high rate of endorser replacement, almost akin to the rapid turnover of the garments that fill the label's line.

The Fine Line

Fashion industry advertisers have a challenge, as they must walk a fine line. Many advertisers attempt to shock and surprise potential garment wearers in an attempt to draw attention to the company in general and the garments it is selling in particular. While this practice can prove effective, it can also be a risky one. If the marketer steps over the line and enters into the realm of the offensive, he runs the risk of alienating his audience and potentially losing buyers and the funds they bring to the table.