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acter and the brand, which normally
is only done with positive figures, gen-
erating a big emotional charge such
as the case of the recently graduated
journalist who enters unexpectedly
into the world of fashion in the movie
The Devil Wears Prada. Some film
directors closely connected to brands
and this type of advertising are Pedro
Almodóvar and Sofia Coppola.
When this technique is applied to
television, placement is carried out in
series, with presenters, in music vid-
eos, commercials, or through appear-
ances by leaders of public opinion.
The time that elapses between the
shooting of the promotion and its
broadcast is short, and thus the inten-
tion here is to sell products; what
the presenter is wearing today can
be bought in stores tomorrow. The
television series that has had the
most success in this respect is Sex
and the City, where the personalities
of the characters are identified with
brands, for example, Carrie with her
Manolos.
INSTRUMENTS OF
COMMUNICATION
A series of elements allow for a dia-
logue between the brand and the con-
sumer—the so-called “instruments of
communication.” These instruments
can be divided into two types: institu-
tional instruments of communication,
used to transmit the values of the
brand, and temporal instruments of
communication, the aim of which is to
promote the product.
INSTRUMENTS OF INSTITUTIONAL
COMMUNICATION
The brand
More than a name or a logo, a brand
is the story that one wishes to tell,
the objective of which is to stimulate
desire in the consumer. It communi-
cates the mission and vision of the
company regarding desired position-
ing through coherent and permanent
communication, recognized beyond
the mutability of the products.
It is increasingly difficult for brands
or fashion designers to distinguish
themselves from peers, as products
tend to be similar in price and qual-
ity. It is for this reason that brand-
ing has become such an important
instrument: it tells stories about the
brand that help stimulate desire and
emotions among consumers, primary
motors of consumption in society
today. In other words, it represents
the power of the brand as an element
of differentiation.
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COMMUNICATION
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Branding is a part of the species
of marketing that was born in the
mid-eighties, when brands began to
assume the central importance that
they enjoy today. As a result, adver-
tising does not announce the simple
existence of products but must cre-
ate an image and tell a story about
a brand. As the French semiologist
Roland Barthes stated in The Fashion
System (1967), “It is not the object
but the name that creates desire.”
Every brand comes into being with
the desire to triumph and gain rec-
ognition. It should not be forgotten
that fashion, above all, is a business.
Moreover, in today’s so-called “liquid
society,” analyzed by sociologist Zyg-
munt Bauman in Liquid Life (2005),
brands have become the access
points to our identity. Their objective
is to establish connections between
individuals in order to create a brand
community, gathered around certain
aesthetic values, preferences, and
specific tastes, thus creating a cultural
idea or certain identity toward which
they aspire. As individuals, our primary
desire is to be recognized as part of a
community. It is for this reason that
humans imitate, though not randomly;
they always choose their models. When
buying they define themselves through
their relationship with the objects and
the meaning society attributes to them
(the materialization of values that the
brand provides) and as such, with the
purchase of certain products, one will
feel part of the community created by
the brand.
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Branding includes elements that help
in the overall construction of the
brand. These are divided into tangible
and intangible characteristics:
– Tangibles: the graphic identity or
image of the brand, such as the logo,
name, color, slogan, or packaging.
– Intangibles: the personality or idea
of the brand, consisting of values,
promises, cultural references, sto-
ries, myths, etc.
Labels
These are one of the tangible ele-
ments of the brand that offer the
most information about the designer
and the product. Some indicate the
name of the designer or brand and
explain the characteristics of the fab-
ric and how to care for it, as well as
the “made in” information. As for the
first type of labels, it is necessary to
pay attention to the design because
in a boutique along with other gar-
ments it will represent the first con-
tact with the buyer. In fact, not only
are they important because of the
technical information they offer to
the consumer, but also because of
the need to care for the image of the
brand. These labels can change their
design each season, reflecting the
spirit of the collection.
The second group of labels ensures
that the consumer can take care of
the garments properly as the provider
customarily includes directions about
how to care for the fabric with spe-
cific symbols. Included are the place of
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manufacturing and a reference to the
manufacturer or designer, someone to
contact in case there is a problem.
Point of sale
Nowadays this space is of capital
importance within the sphere of com-
munication, as it is the meeting point
between the brand and end con-
sumer. It is the place where the
strategy of the brand takes physical
shape, creating and transmitting the
desired atmosphere so that the client
can have the kind of buying experi-
ence that makes him willing to pay
a surcharge. It is for this reason that
single-brand stores are increasingly
more important from a strategic point
of view, some having become genuine
brand temples (for example, Prada
with its “Epicenters”) where what
matters is not so much selling but
generating an experience intricate to
the idea of the brand as a lifestyle.
Patronage and sponsorship
The relationship between fashion and
other sectors often materializes in
these two forms. A brand utilizes
patronage—providing financial sup-
port to others so that they can do
their work, without asking for anything
in exchange—to improve its image,
becoming involved in an activity of
general interest and making clear its
commitment to social participation,
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Puma at Volvo ocean race. © Sally Colison
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