“Specialty clothing retailers this fall want to let shoppers know that they, too, are a brand” by Jennifer Steinhauer

 http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/09/business/media-business-advertising-specialty-clothing-retailers-this-fall-want-let.html

1.  Select a quote from this article and explain how it relates to clothing advertising and brand identity.

            ''Today brands are built emotionally,'' Ms. Lastrina said. ''You have to get a message across and show what the brand ideology means to her life.''

            This quote shows how important it is for businesses to portray the right image for a clothing brand. Nowadays, most people seem to stick to their favorite brands – and these brands are their favorites because they project images that the customers already do or want to represent. For example, Steinhauer describes how Talbots recently spent $13 million on a new campaign in order emphasize their clothing’s classic, traditional, and effortless image. The author also mentions a Nine West advertisement campaign that focuses on depicting the brand’s image as sexy and über-trendy. One of the ads includes a woman wearing Nine West sandals and sitting at an African-themed bar while three attractive men stare at her feet. Furthermore, the hazy lighting and brown/wine-colored color scheme, among other elements, contribute to the image of the brand. This ad is meant to make women believe – consciously or subconsciously – that if they wear Nine West, they too can be sexy and desireable.

2.  What are some examples of clothing companies that have iconic advertisements? Include an image of one of your examples and explain what it says about the brand. Who are they marketing to? What are they selling (both physically and reflectively)?

            Examples of clothing companies that have iconic advertisements are Ralph Lauren, GAP, Calvin Klein, Burberry, and Levi’s.

            For instance, Ralph Lauren’s advertisements (as can be seen above) give the brand a timeless, classy, preppy, wealthy, British image. They are definitely marketing to those who are quite wealthy, but most likely the younger set, which can be deducted from the youthfulness of their models. They are trying to sell their clothing, of course, but also the image of their brand as described above – these advertisements show how the company wants their brand to be seen.

3.  How has brand image influenced your decision to buy or not buy clothing? Do the clothes define the people, or do the people define the clothes?

            Although I do favor several brands consistently, regardless of their advertisements and such, brand image has certainly influenced my decision to buy or not buy clothing on many occasions. For instance, although I think Talbot’s has nice clothing, at my age, I would probably never buy anything from there, simply because their image is more traditional, conservative, and mature than the image I, personally, would like to portray.