FASHION BRAND BUZZ vs. FASHION BRAND DOES

…Fashion Brand Communications Debates BUZZTALK

In a world with changing economies, it could be time for more meaningful fashion talk.  Fashion Buzztalk is often attention compelling, but inconsequential… as well as not really being understood for personal meaning.

Some examples from the past and present fashion vocabulary might include:

Illustration by Art Winters

 

  • Fashion first
  • Fashion must
  • Fashion trend
  • Fashion right
  • Fashion casual
  • High Fashion
  • Retro Fashion
  • Fashionable
  • Fashionista

 

A fashion brand that does more than buzz in its message content, attempts to communicate relevant values to its target customers.  Fashion buzztalk may be an attempt to simply attract attention when there is evidently nothing to say.

So in these “Occupy Wall Street” times, how does a fashion brand avoid buzztalk and deliver doestalk that will give the customer inspiration and information they want and need?  Here are a few guidelines for applying some fashion brand doestalk:

  • Don’t try to sell a fashion brand by only creating your own new language for it.  Instead, try to tell/show customers what a fashion will do for them.
  • If the brand’s styling makes your customers look their best, to themselves and the people they value, that’s a brand does selling message.
  • Fashion solutions that save the customer time and money are more important than ever.  Communicating these savings is more valuable and meaningful than empty buzztalk.
  • Fashion and textile technology and innovation provide benefits of interest and value to your customers – worthy of doestalk.
  • Fashion brand communications can be of great value and satisfaction.  If the brand offers feasible solutions to its target audience that make sense in their lifestyles and life stages.

The best doestalk’s job is to present value not meaningless words.  The best information for customers is not “dressed up empty words, it is to communicate the brand’s values as they match the customers’ values.

Arthur & Peggy Winters co-teach SXB 200 Brand Marketing Communications for Image & Meaning and SXR 050 Intro to Branding: The Art of Customer Bonding.