Beyond the Hype: Proven Marketing Communications Strategy for Fashion Brand Success

This research is credited to Ahmad Fuad Al Hattab
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Introduction 

​Different internal, external, and market factors can affect an organization's marketing communications strategy. Market factors constitute, but are not limited to, consumers, competitor tactics, and media. External elements incline to political, economic, social, technology, regulatory, and environmental factors.

Again, internal factors involve but are not constrained to organizational strategy, culture, resources, and socio-political elements. These factors influence are evident when assessing the marketing communications strategy for fashion attire. It is affected by new competitors, competition strategies, and ever-changing consumer preferences. Moreover, Internal factors such as marketing driving vision, marketing learning, and organizational collaboration cultures.

Often marketing communication strategies aim to generate, develop, communicate, and create a credible association with consumers to attain a competitive positioning advantage in the market. However, different internal and external elements can influence the marketing communication strategy, particularly for organizations dealing with fashion clothes.

Most firms have to deal with perennial competitive pressure because of the cyclic nature of the clothing global industry (Koszewska, 2018). Pressure within the fashion attire industry is also ingrained in the ever-changing marketing environment and technological advancements, necessitating a new marketing communications strategy to accomplish their objectives.

The ever-increasing new competition leading to different fashion preferences and the obvious expansion and ever-shifting consumer fashion preferences entail other core sources of competitive pressure within the global fashion industry (Koszewska, 2018). Concurrently, organizations have to consider the environmental changes and suitable utilization of resources.
 
In line with the above factors, a marketing communication strategy within a fashion attire organization represents the theoretical endeavor to comprehend why consumers react to different promotion communications messages more optimistically than others (Mudzanani, 2015). The strategy also entails understanding how to organize marketing communications more suitably.

Increased focus on marketing communications strategies among organizations dealing with fashion attire is grounded in different contemporary reasons. Modern-day mass media fragmentation is challenging for these organizations to extensively reach all consumers with a single simple array of promotional tools (Mudzanani, 2015).
 
Additionally, integrated marketing communication has changed considerably in the digital era because of technological advancements and increased globalization (Gabrielli & Balboni, 2010). Accordingly, marketing communication has to address a global audience. Such factors are motivating organizations to adopt the right marketing communications strategies for future competitive advantage. Internal factors, changing market elements, and technological advancements are notably affecting marketing communication strategies adopted by companies dealing with fashion attire.
 
Market Factors

The marketing communication strategy of an organization dealing with fashion apparel is often affected by market turbulence. The latter involves the level of uncertainties and instabilities within the market environment. It can entail consumer preferences, product information, and other external factors, such as federal policies influencing an organization's ability to respond to market needs (Engelen, Schmidt, & Buchsteiner, 2015).

A turbulent environment characterizes the apparel industry as the market variations are recurrent and random and constitute significant impacts on new commodity development planning (Engelen, Schmidt, & Buchsteiner, 2015). Concisely, market turbulence in this sector relates to the high levels of unpredictability, which enhance causal uncertainties.

​A benefit of market turbulence is that it decreases the competitors’ abilities to imitate an organization's capabilities, positively affecting the marketing communications strategy. Market factors are the most predominant elements affecting fashionable apparel organizations. Završnik and Mumel (2007) identify that fashion apparel organizations are subject to unprecedented competition from new entrants and other dominant competitors.
 
According to the authors, the dominant global competitors could dedicate fashion trends, resulting in cyclic and periodic changes in the marketing communications strategy (Završnik & Mumel, 200). Again, fashionable clothes are typified by short product life cycles, comparatively simplistic product designs, and extreme demand uncertainties (Ren, Chan, & Ram, 2016).

Given such product features, organizations in the fashion apparel sectors have to adopt marketing communications strategies to identify and briskly respond to changing consumer fashion preferences. Such marketing communications strategies, affected by the mentioned market factors, demand integration of different internal factors like market-driving vision, internal collaboration, and culture within the organization.  
 
Internal factors

Marketing driving evaluation is the process of estimating an organization's long-term market operation that can be attained while expecting marketing variations, which could become future marketing trends. In line with this factor, a vision entails an internal element relating to a company's plan while considering prevailing situations and the intended future objectives (Stathakopoulos et al., 2019).

Thus, a market-driven vision is essential in supporting a comprehensive marketing communications strategy as the workers comprehend the long-term company goal. Stathakopoulos et al. (2019) identify a positive impact within vision-oriented content and align the vision with workers' happiness, consumer satisfaction, and revenue outcome.
 
Therefore, the success of marketing communication strategies for organizations within the fashion apparel industry starts with a distinct market vision that considers the dynamic and cyclic nature of the global fashion sector. Since consumer preferences change briskly within the fashion industry, an organization's marketing communications strategy should be rooted in marketing driving vision, where the firm aims to dedicate upcoming fashion trends (Watchravesringkan et al., 2010).

​According to the authors, such a strategy enables an organization to be in a marketing driving position rather than a reactive position (Watchravesringkan et al., 2010). Innovative technologies could enable an organization to achieve an ambitious vision to develop apparel that adds considerable customer value. An organizational culture, such as collaboration, could also affect the marketing communications strategy.

A corporate culture typified by the partnership can entail interactive processes. Well-managed communication strategies in the company foster a smooth exchange of ideologies, competencies, and knowledge to attain improved marketing performance (Chang, 2013). The internal factor also affects the marketing communications strategy's effectiveness.

Cooperative efforts can facilitate multi-organizational plans to address critical marketing challenges, that cannot be solved by a single department or organization (Chang, 2013). Therefore, this aspect aids the accomplishment of shared objectives across departments, boundaries and can also foster multi-sector associations.

Such collaborative efforts lead to the development of new knowledge and information within research and development divisions. Smith et al. (2006) assess a three-phase model of integrated marketing communication and identify that collaboration across a company's departments enhances marketing communication strategies' efficiency.
 
Marketing Learning

Marketing learning is another internal aspect that requires some market-oriented elements to develop an effective marketing communications strategy. According to Fang et al. (2014), marketing learning entails the dynamic processes of attaining promotion abilities with incorporated new knowledge or insights, enhancing comprehension of consumer behaviors, and generating satisfaction among the target clients.

Ibeh and Kasem (2014) determine that marketing learning is an essential internal aspect that enables an organization to accrue knowledge leading to improved ability within marketing processes, such as a fashion company responding to new consumer preferences and driving fashion favorites through research and new apparel development.
 
Marketing learning is an essential process when establishing the marketing communications strategy as the organization comprehends the relationship between brand image and marketability of a product (Soba & Aydin, 2013). Again, an organization's competitiveness and subsequent productivity are tied to the internally developed new knowledge and competencies acquired through learning.
 
Percy (2014) supports these assertions, identifying that organizations with cultures that require continued learning about consumers, market environments, and competitors can establish an effective marketing communication model. Christensen et al. (2008) also find that organizational learning constitutes a positive link to effective marketing communication approaches.

According to the authors, a company can utilize learning in adapting more competently to consumers' changing preferences (Christensen et al., 2008). Therefore, when a fashion company establishes new knowledge and implements the information to develop an association with the target customer base, it can help drive new fashion trends or respond to prevailing trends appropriately. This aspect is tied to consumer behavior and how it affects the marketing communication strategy.
 
Understanding consumer behavior is a critical market factor that organizations have to consider within their marketing communications strategy. Companies have to be conscious that fashionable apparel involves a focal position within consumers’ lives because of the vital social and financial value underscored in different global communities.

Thus, fashion apparel can be essential commodities reflecting self-image and assuming individual relevance to consumers (Changchenkit, 2018). Again, marketing communications within the fashion apparel sector represent the network of associations formed by manufacturers, retailers, and customers.

Hence, the aim of marketing communications strategies within the clothing industry entails influencing the consumers and directing their purchasing patterns. By incorporating the customer within the organization, the marketers can achieve a two-way communication that enables the organization to recognize their preferences and adjust or develop commodities that address those specific consumer needs (Mehrjoo & Pasek, 2014).
 
For example, a fashion company can integrate a simple marketing communications strategy that focuses on the link between fashion design and marketing. Such a strategy overlooks customers' concerns and a need for profitability, leading to marketing failure.

Instead, an effective marketing communications strategy can be characterized by designers comprehending how marketing enhances the product's creative processes. Marketing heads recognize that design can influence or react to consumer needs in the fashion sector. Addressing these market, and consumer-focused factors can lead to effective marketing and financial success.
 
The Importance of Understanding the External, Internal, and Market Factors

In summary, comprehension of the internal and external factors affecting marketing communications strategy helps an organization attain a competitive advantage. This competitive edge is attained because the factors facilitate effective brand, consumer, and budget alignment of marketing communication.

Understanding the market factors enables an organization to comprehend consumer behaviors, which could be considered in marketing communications leading to approaches that influence certain consumer patterns among target customer groups. Again, identifying the market factors helps organizations identify competitive pressure sources and the strategies by the competition that could affect the company’s market position.

Such an understanding leads to improvement or readjustment of product development or marketing strategies. Recognizing the internal factors affecting marketing communications strategies is essential for leaders to develop a marketing vision and a culture that aligns with the consumer and profitability-related objectives. Identifying changes in external factors, such as technological advancements and policies, can help an organization identify reasons beyond their direct control that affect a product's marketability or adopted marketing approach.
 
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References
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