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Reading Assignment

The fashion industry has become a very profitable business. There is now a concept of brands which are considered as high-end status symbols. Apparel companies are facing serve competition in the market. They are now using different marketing tactics in order to drive consumers. They create awareness about their products, and in this way they establish their brand worth. For this, they invest in brand strengthening and nurture consumer loyalty. They use aggressive advertising to stress over the uniqueness and superiority of the product. For example, Louis Vuitton one of the competitive luxury brands spent $14 million on advertising during 2010. It then used Luxury lifestyle magazines for ad campaigns.

Moreover, the competition in the fashion industry is also due to the use of social media for consumers who share information with their friends and family and news become viral. These conversations in social media have the ability to influence the choices of those who are in power. Moreover, fashion labels are evolving with times. These are being used by companies to attract customers. For this, they have to make a huge investment in advertising. Now companies have to use a holistic approach. To survive in this competition, they have to spend millions of dollars to entice consumers to buy their products. They have to use pushers for creating consumers loyalty. They have to target consumer’s social status with advertisements and offer them exclusive products. A part of the marketing is also the discounted sales that are offered to persuade consumers to purchase more stuff. In addition, there is the use of consumer grooming as a tactic in marketing by apparel companies. Now for apparel companies, the aim behind advertising is not to bring more sales but to create a niche market for their brands. This is an effective strategy to brawl with severe competition in the fashion industry.

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Zara after its establishment in 1975 in Spain has gained the status of an international fashion retail giant. It does not spend millions of dollars on advertising. It uses the concept of fast fashion and creates a passion for fashion among its consumers. It has a strategy to put its customers first who define the company. It regularly receives their feedbacks and acts accordingly. For example, the customer response regarding an article is forwarded to headquarters and then conversed to in-house designers accordingly. These then use this feedback in their future work. It also offers its customers a chance to co-create the designs. The company is also successfully using a pull strategy to create customer curiosity and has no focus on push strategy.

Moreover, in the context of influencer marketing, it has been using influencer models that engage consumers. Zara allows its customers to check models wearing preferred fashions while clicking on sensors in the store. They can also be inspired by their favorite fashion consultants. They can ask about a specific product and learn about it. After getting enough information, they can then buy the product in a few clicks. In addition, the company also uses price as an advantage and offers its products on reasonable and affordable prices. Zara uses backward and vertical integration that assist in keeping its prices low and still enjoy the profits. Sometimes, this also assists the company to produce niche products promptly. This offering of the latest fashion lines at affordable prices is considered as a strategic advantage for Zara. Consequently, every purchase is an impulse buy due to its use of positioning strategies that satisfy customers changing needs around the globe. The part of its marketing strategy is the concept of fast fashion. It does not set fashion trends but it traverses the wave of current fashions. It then offers reasonably priced copycat editions of a high-end brand.