COMMUNICATION

Decoding communication in the fashion industry

What is communication?
Communication is the opportunity to share with customers the lifestyle and dreams of the
brand.
Fashion companies need to communicate to clients a mix of tangible and intangible factors.
An excellent product is not enough to succeed in the current competitive environment.
Communication is: an expression of narrative power engagement conversion.
Clients engagement  WOM, Conversion, brand reputation and conversation, desirability.

The COVID-19 impact and challenges: a new normal

1. Increased use of digital channels
2. More authenticity and meaningfulness
3. Sustainability and transparency

The 3 categories of communication

1. Internal communication: communication between different departments, employees, and
stakeholders of the company
2. External communication: communication between the fashion brand and its external
stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, media, and influencers. The aim is building
relationships and brand loyalty
3. Marketing communication: communication between strategies that fashion brands use to
promote their products and services. It includes advertising, public relations, events, and
promotions. It helps to create brand awareness, generate sales and establish brand identity.

360° communication approach

Building a successful omnichannel communication strategy

1. Understand your target audience
2. Define your brand identity
3. Integrate all channels
4. Personalize your communication
5. Track results
6. Continuous improvement

BRAND AWARENESS
BRAND IMAGE
REPUTATION
IMPACT
CONTENTS AND STORYTELLING
CREDIBILITY AND LEGITIMACY

The (r)evolution of fashion communication

From product-focused communication to lifestyle/brand personality communication.
Examples are LOUIS VUITTON JOURNEYS by Bruno Aveillan, BOTTEGA VENETA, and PRADA.

ATL vs. BTL communication

- ATL: all the communication activities which imply the usage of traditional paid Media
- BTL: all the non-media communication activities (i.e. PR, events, influencers, product placement,
sponsorship, direct marketing, etc…)
- TTL: digital and social media

Print ADV: fashion magazines

From print to digital year by year fashion brands decrease their spending in print ADS in favor of
digital ADS spending.
Printed magazine sales revenue decreased by 47% between 2011 and 2018.
Revenue from print magazines and newspapers is expected to decrease at a rate of 5.71% annually from
2023-2027 in US.
The digital publishing market is predicted to grow by $105.96 billion from 2021 to 2026 with a CAGR of
13.01%.
However, the majority of fashion magazines have gone also digital to keep up with this revolution.

The achievements in terms of editorial coverage are measured by evaluating the MEDIA VALUE
gained within a specific period of time.
The media value is print, electronic and non-traditional news coverage resulting from editorial
content generated via press releases, interviews, photos, video and special events.
Some of the elements which influence the results in terms of media value are: page rate, reach,
page rank, magazine type, competitors, etc…

Digital and social media communication

Digital and social media communication is everything that has to do with websites, mobile apps,
digital marketing, e-commerce, SEO, web analytics, augmented and virtual reality, social media,
digital tools in physical shops, and more.
- Communicating through brand website
- Digital ADS
- SEO and SEM
- Focus on social media
- Communicating through influencers and celebs
- Leveraging social commerce
- Building a sponsored campaign on social
- Collaborations
- New tools and trends in social and digital communication

Communicating through the brand website

Fashion is the largest B2C e-commerce market segment with strong digital acceleration due to
COVID-19 great expected growth for the channel in next years.
The brand website is one of the primary channels for the brand itself to get in touch with its
audience.
The website is a “window”, it has to reflect 100% the brand image and identity and be coherent
with the communication strategy implemented on all the other channels. It can be managed in a
very flexible way to meet the needs of a specific launch.

Digital ADS: main features

- Targeting
- Measurement
- Flexibility
- Creativity
- Cost-effectiveness

Digital ADS: the importance of the landing page

The landing page of a digital ADS has to be: relevant and easy to download.
An inefficient landing page will cause:
- A high bounce rate
- The loss of the potential client
- Unsatisfying results for the campaign

Digital ADS: Native advertising

Native advertising is a non-intrusive AD format that is based on integrating an ADS into the natural
editorial style or content of a platform.
This way the content seems blended into the hosting website or platform and appears organic, so
much that they always need to have an indicator that states they are an AD.
- Perceived authenticity
- More interactions
- Better control
- Trustworthy
- Higher engagement
- More effective with younger generations
Native advertising is expected to grow +372% from 2020 to 2025, reaching more than $400bn.

- Growing preference for video formats

- More appreciated than regular ADS Consumers look at native ADS 53% more than regular display
- Higher retention rate retention rate of native ADS is 3x higher than regular display ads

Example: Spotify x Stranger Things

A Stranger Things mode is made for Spotify users that assigned a playlist inspired by one of the
show’s characters based on their listening habits. This was sponsored but with a completely
integrated design and aesthetic.

Example: NATGEO and GC

The editorial piece was very coherent with NATGEO style, so much so that seemed a reportage
carried by NATGEO itself.
Topic coherent with NATGEO's mission on environment and sustainability.

Example: GUCCI North Face x Highsnobiety

Link with Nature and outdoor experience.
Coherent language with all the actors involved.

Digital ADS: programmatic advertising

To optimize display ADS investment and revenues, is possible to leverage programmatic
advertising.
Programmatic advertising is a way to automatically buy and optimize digital campaigns, with the
goal is to increasing efficiency and transparency for both the advertiser and the publisher.
It consists in real-time auctions where ads are bought at the same as a visitor loads a website.

Digital Campaign on Search Engine

SEO increases the number of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the
search results page of a search engine.
HOW?
- Through optimization of the content available on the website
- Using the right keywords

SEM refers to paid search results. Campaigns are managed through bids and based on a set of
relevant keywords.

Search engine marketing

51% of shoppers say they use Google search when they plan to make a purchase online
Half of the e-commerce sessions driven by search traffic are generated through paid search.

Define the keyword you want to bid on and the investment you want to make.
Google ADS evaluates if the chosen keyword fits the bidding criteria.
The result of the auction will depend:
 On the maximum BID
 The quality score

Social media
- 4.74 billion social media users worldwide
- More than 70% of the total eligible global population uses social media
- 2 ½ hours spent on social media per day on average
Social media adoption and management is now crucial for any kind of business that wants to stay
in touch with its audience.

Social media for communication

Social media offers a wide variety of advantages when used as a communication channel.
- Drive traffic to e-commerce
- Wide variety of platforms
- Wide visibility
- Huge flexibility of content formats
- Keep up with an always-connected consumer
- Communities
- Customer engagement

social media arising trends: authenticity

being exposed every day to thousands of ADS and content pieces on social media, users have
started demanding more authenticity from the brands they love.
Social media is a powerful tool to listen to the brand’s community, with the aim of understanding
which values, messages, and behavior are expected from the brand itself and how they react to
specific activities.

Social media earned media value (EMV)

The earned media value on social media comes from any type of exposure gained through word-
of-mouth, recommendations, or conversations about the brand: shares; comments; mentions;
reviews; tags; influencers…

Social media communication: the rise of Tik Tok

- Over 1 billion monthly active users
- 167M videos watched on TikTok every minute
- Active in +150 countries
- Content sharing through videos
- Highest engagement rate per post vs. other social media 4,25%
- Most GEN Z users
- TikTok users spend on average more than 850 minutes per month on the app
- Entertainment is the most popular category by hashtag views (535 BN)
- 69% of US teenagers are regular TikTok users

How do brands can leverage TikTok?

- Entertain your audience
- Influencer marketing
- Build communities
- Get user-generated content
- Organic visibility paid ADS

Important elements to keep in mind for an effective TikTok communication strategy:

- Leverage relevant themes for your audience
- Create long-term relationships with influencers
- Prioritize personality and entertainment over product
- Create long-term relationships with influencers
- Be interactive and give users creative control.

The Future of TikTok

- In APP shopping features improvement (TikTok and Shopify Partnership)
- A strong source of inspiration for tourism and travel (43% of users are inspired to travel to new
places by content seen on the App)
- Connect youngers with job opportunities (resume feature)
- New content formats
- Constantly improving paid ADS KPIs

Social media communication: Douyin

- GEN Z fastest-growing purchasing group +164% YoY
- 730M monthly active users
- 90% of Douyin users use the APP multiple times a day

Social media communication: Instagram

- More than 2 billion monthly active users
- Around 47% of Americans aged 18+ use Instagram
- Instagram is the 8th most visited site WW and the most downloaded APP WW
- 996 million users potential IG stories AD audience
- Instagram ranks as the favorite social platform of GEN Z, overcoming also TikTok
- 61% of WW 12 to 17 YRS old use Instagram weekly
- India, the US, and Brazil have the most Instagram users on WW
- 759 million users potential reels AD audience
- People re-share reels via DM 1 billion times a day
- 30% of the time people spend on IG is taking reels

Instagram: age and gender

- More than 60% of global Instagram users are younger than 34 Y.O.
- The age groups 18-24 and 25-34 Y.O. are the biggest age groups
- Around 48% of users are female and 52% are men

Instagram for business

- The 1st social platform to connect people with brands
- 90% of Instagram users follow a business
- 81% of Instagram users research products and services
- 83% of Instagram users declared that it helps to find new products and services
- 50% of Instagram users say they are more interested in a brand when they see it featured on
Instagram ADS
- 44% of businesses have used story features to promote their products/services
- 130 M users tap on shopping posts every month

The Future of Instagram

- Rolling-out of limits an anty-bullying tool to protect users from online abuse
- Personalized experience via a sensitive content tool
- Evolve towards a more authentic and less photoshopped content
- The growing importance of live content

Social media communication: Facebook

- Leading social platform reaching more than 2.94 billion monthly active users
- 37% of the total world population uses Facebook on a monthly basis
- 2nd most used APP globally in terms of total usage time
- Facebook AD revenue is expected to grow to $75.11 billion in 2024
- 67% of monthly users are active daily
- 98.3% of Facebook users navigate the APP from mobile
- Over 140 businesses active on the platform
- Video is the most popular content format with an engagement rate of 6.15% vs. the average
per post which is 1,3%

Social media communication: YouTube

- Over 2 billion monthly active users
- As for IG, India has the largest YouTube audience, followed by US and Brazil
- 46% of people aged 18+ among the eligible population (except China) use YouTube
- 1 billion hours of video viewed every day
- 90% of people discover new brands and products through YouTube

Social media communication: WeChat

- Multifunctional APP
- More than 1.2 billion users
- 78% of people aged 16-64 in China use WeChat
- The most used social network in China
- 3.2 M mini-programs on the platform

Social media communication: Weibo

- 586 M monthly active users
- Micro-blogging social network
- Younger audience compared to WeChat
- Mainly used for influencers' co-op

Social media communication: the hottest brands

1. Prada
2. Gucci
3. Moncler
4. Miu Miu
5. Valentino
6. Bottega Veneta
7. Loewe
8. Dior
9. Dolce e Gabbana
10. Saint Laurent
11. Balenciaga
12. Nike
13. Versace
14. Fendi
15. Louis Vuitton
16. Diesel
17. Ugg
18. Burberry
19. Coach
20. Jaquemus

Social media communication: the breakout brands

 Arlington
 Mugler
 Alaia

How to build a digital and social advertising campaign

- Identify your target
- Set your budget
- Define content distribution strategy
- Work on formats and impressions estimate
- Set your KPIs

Digital and social KPIs

Who are the influencers?

Fashion bloggers; artists; opinion leaders; stylists; editors…
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing involves a brand collaborating with an influencer to market one of its products
or services. Some of these collaborations can be less tangible, meaning the brands simply work
with influencers to improve brand recognition/awareness.
- Influencer marketing has grown to 16.4 billion$ in 2022
- 67% of influencer marketing activities happen on Instagram but there has been a huge
increase also on TikTok
- A growing trend for performance measurement
- On average an ROI of $5,2 for each dollar spent

How to build a successful influencer marketing strategy (the golden rules)

1. Define the objective: awareness and recognition; conversion/sales; recruiting and coolness
2. Define timing: campaign length; campaign timing; relationship length
3. Set the budget: budget for gifts; budget for fees; amplification
4. Select names: brand fit; engagement; type of audience; content quality
5. Define deliverables and schedule: type of content; frequency
6. Prepare the brief: styling; content references; hashtags, links, and more
7. Track results: hashtags; KPIs; visual quality
8. Nurture the relationship

How to build a successful influencer marketing strategy (the successful factors)

- Set clear objectives and value proposition
- Choose the right names
- Be meaningful and relevant
- Keep an eye on content to ensure quality
- Measure the performance

How to engage influencers: different kinds of partnerships

- Content creation on their account
- Product endorsement
- Shootings and campaign
- Product co-creation
- Events’ presence and amplification
- Brand experiences

What influencer marketing is not and what does not work

- Is not about money for exposure
- Is not about quick results
- One size does not fit all
- Popularity is not a way to measure expected success

The K-pop phenomena

Korean K-pop stars have become a true powerhouse for fashion and luxury brands in the latest
years, with the aim of activating the audience globally.
The impact and engagement generated by K-pop celebrities are the strongest ever, crossing the
borders of countries and cultures all around the world.

The reasons why:

- Global reach
- Low reputational risk
- Willing to experiment with fashion
- Authenticity and trust
Influencers activations case studies: Miu Miu Skirt launch
Miu Miu has been named brand of the year by the list for 2022. A huge contribution to this amazing
result came from the launch of the mini skirt, which became viral on social media.
This activity created a strong impact and visibility on Instagram, fostered also by the support of
other coordinated social and digital activities, i.e. editorials, organic visibility on owned channels,
etc…
As a result of all of these activities, the searches for the label have increased by 34% in 2022 vs.
the previous year.

More than 3400 posts under the #MIUMIUSS22 hashtag on Instagram mix of stories, videos, reels,
photos, etc…
A huge number of influencers and celebrities are involved. The item became a must-have street-
style item.

Influencers activations case studies: Louis Vuitton Pont 9 Bag launch

A huge number of influencers posted themselves on the same day wearing the new LV “Pont 9
bag”.
The hashtag of the campaign was #LVPONT9.
The activation involved top influencers and celebs from all over the world.
This activity created a strong impact and visibility on Instagram, fostered also by the support of
other coordinated social and digital activities, i.e. editorials, organic visibility on owned channels,
etc…

More than 1000 posts under the #LVPONT9 hashtag on Instagram. A mix of stories, videos, reels,
photos, etc…
+80 influencers and celebrities involved in the first phase.

Influencers activations case studies: Dior ambassador

Announced as the global Dior ambassador starting in March 2021, JISOO was already under the
brand radar since 2020.
Multi-touchpoint and multi-project activation strategy:
- Dior official social account
- Talent social accounts
- Events
- Editorials
- Seeding
- Brand experience

Influencers activations case studies: Nike

An influencer marketing strategy that speaks a language that the very diversified audience of Nike
can understand.
Key success factors:
- Celebrating and leveraging diversity
- Transparency and authenticity
- Be meaningful and inspirational
- Create communities

COVID-19 pandemic shake-up

Re-thinking the interaction between influencers and their audience
- New content forms
- More authenticity
- The rise of creators
- Out of the box
The future of influencer marketing
- The rise of micro-influencers
- Go for value-driven content
- Push for authenticity
- Explore and exploit new platforms
- Strengthen relationships
- Virtual influencers

Social media strategy: Case studies

Jaquemus
Mastering the art of community building for a digital age, by having a transparent 360°
communication strategy, creating IG-friendly products worn by a diverse audience, and by building
a strong visual image.
- Strong storytelling
- Lifestyle
- Transparency and authenticity
- Building Instagrammable products and initiatives
The kind of communication during a lockdown: authentic and relaxed content, mainly shot through
smartphones and face time.

Valentino
By leveraging social media to celebrate humanity, inclusivity, savoir-faire and freedom of
expression, Valentino has been pointed out as one of the most successful brands of the latest
years.
- Strong storytelling
- Lifestyle
- Inclusivity
- Young generations

Dior: communicating savoir-faire

Communicating the “dream” and the intangible through craftmanship. Through the expression of its
exceptional savoir-faire, Dior is able to make people understand what really its products are made
of:
- Artisanal expertise
- Real people work for hours to bring to life those creations
- Exceptional materials
- Creativity and inspiration
- Teamwork

The Apple #ShotonIphone campaign

Launched as a simple UGC campaign challenge to encourage iPhone users to prove that Iphone’s
camera is better than a professional camera by sharing their shots made on the iPhone, the
hashtag of the campaign has reached today more than 28M mentions.
Moreover, the best shots have been selected by Apple to give life to one of the most impactful
billboard campaigns ever.
On a regular basis, the best images are selected by Apple to be reposted on their official Instagram
account @Apple.
Key success factors:
- The clear and coherent campaign hashtag
- Campaign spirit coherent with Apple DNA
- An easy and clear challenge
- Emotional connection with the audience
The Prada bucket hat challenge (Focus on TikTok)
The #PRADABUCKETCHALLENGE was born to encourage users to show their Prada style by
using as a key item the iconic Prada bucket hat.
Some of the most famous TikTok creators took part in this groundbreaking challenge (Avani, Brent
Rivera, Bella Poarch, just maiko, etc…)
This challenge also brought a significant online search increase for the Prada bucket hat and the
bucket hat item in general.
- A successful case of leveraging user-generated content
- More than 9,7B views for the hashtag on TikTok
- Thousands of videos, mentions, and interactions

The Gucci model challenge

A challenge originated organically from TikTok users under the #GUCCIMODELCHALLENGE
hashtag, that Gucci has fueled and brought amazing results in terms of visibility.
Gucci fully embraced the challenge, re-posting some of the best videos on their TikTok account
and claiming some of the best “performers” could be selected to be part of an upcoming project
with Gucci.
- A successful case of leveraging user-generated content
- More than 853M views for the hashtag on TikTok
- Thousands of videos, mentions, and interactions

The JW Anderson cardigan

After Harry Styles was seen wearing the colorful crochet cardigan by JW Anderson during a
rehearsal session for one of his concerts, a huge challenge started on TikTok with thousands of
people posting content on how to replicate his outfit and make a handmade version of the knitwear
piece.
The hashtag of the challenge was #HARRYSTYLESCARDIGAN.
The buzz was so big, that Anderson itself decided to give a helping hand to those willing to re-
create the cardigan by themselves by releasing a YouTube tutorial and a downloadable version of
the pattern.
- More than 114M views on the campaign hashtag
- Online searches for the JW Anderson cardigan up 166%
- The cardigan was leading the top 10 product chart of the most searched items for the brand
for more than 6 months.
Why do brands do collaborations

Jaquemus and Nike

Jaquemus has partnered with Nike for the release of a special 15 pieces capsule collection in June
2022.
The result is a collaboration merging the unique style of Jaquemus and the iconic codes of Nike,
both in terms of logo and materials.
Between the announcement and the actual release, the online searches for the brand raised
2575% and once dropped, the collaboration was sold out in a few minutes, sending the Jaquemus
website on crash multiple times.
- Brand hype
- Recruiting
- Commercial success

Harry Styles x Gucci – the HA HA HA collection

In 2022, Gucci partnered with Harry Styles to build a collection born by the exchange of ideas
between Alessandro Michele and Styles himself.
The result of this collaboration was a collection named “HA HA HA” which recalls the distinctive
codes of Harry Styles’ way of dressing: English tailoring with a romantic twist, funny prints,
eclectism, silky garments, and more.
- Creativity
- Younger generations
- Celebrity exposure

Supreme x Tiffany
Tiffany has partnered with the streetwear brand Supreme, which has always been famous for
making collaborations driving huge commercial success.
The result is a collaboration reinterpreting the iconic “Return to Tiffany” designs by adding a
supreme touch to them.
Despite the collaboration generating mixed reactions among clients and the press, the collection
has gone sold-out immediately after the release on Supreme e-com on November 11th.
- Brand hype
- Recruiting
- Commercial success

Tiffany x Patek Philippe

At the end of 2021, Tiffany partnered with Patek Philippe to launch a limited edition of the iconic
Nautilus watch, just after the watchmaker announced the discontinuation of the iconic piece from
its collections.
The limited edition watch, available only in 170 pieces, proved immediately to be one of the most
desirable luxury products ever made.
Only one piece was made available to be sold at a charity auction, resulting in a final price of
$6,5M.
- Elevation
- Desirability
- Exclusivity

Fendace
The swap: Fendi by Versace and Versace by Fendi
Creative contamination between 2 competitor brands. A big communication moment. Full
temporary personalization of the brand image of both brands. Leveraging the Power of Celebrities

- Coolness
- Brand buzz
- Commercial power
More than 9500 posts were generated only on Instagram for the #FENDACE hashtag. The
engagement rate on social media is much higher than average for both brands. Versace official
coverage also on TikTok as a lot of user-generated content on TikTok around this launch.

Balenciaga x Gucci
Balenciaga joins Gucci – the Haker project to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Maison.
A non-collaboration that generated, in the beginning, an incredible buzz of mixed positive and
negative reactions.
The collection was released on Nov 15th in a range of 74 pop-up stores WW, offering also a
personalization service and online.
- Coolness and brand hype
- Uniqueness
- Commercial success

Moncler genius project

Starting in 2018, the “genius” project has given a new life to Moncler.
- Talking to new younger generations
- A 360-degree brand culture change
- Injecting new creativity inside the brand to push newness and exclusivity to a new level
- Driving brand buzz and in-store traffic.