Purpose
Today more than ever, brands have a responsibility to communicate their purpose within the context of the industry. A brand has to form an emotional connection which customers can see as sustainable and reliable over time. They also require the ability to communicate in a format that resonates with customers which feels honest and authentic (McKinsey & Company, 2020).
Brand philosophy is paramount to conveying a business’s purpose. A brand has to carry out communicating its purpose whether it is through referring to brand heritage or creating a whole new story or message in which it best aligns itself with. However, brands struggle to find a balance between purpose and profit and a business will usually align itself towards one more than the other (Mitterfellner, 2023).
Aaker (1997) suggests that there are five aspects of a brand personality which are most important. These consist of: Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication and Ruggedness. Aaker theorises that this can be used to gain insight into a brand and allow consumers the ability to judge how well a brand is aligned with its philosophical values (Mitterfellner, 2023).
Corporate Social Responsibility plays a vital role in the fashion industry and a brands philosophy. CSR looks at the three principles of philanthropy, human and environmental justice (Walker-Said and Kelly, 2015). There are a number of companies which perform good CSR practises, in result the consumer feels good about purchasing the products while the brand is still mindful of its employees. Stella McCratney can be recognised as a company that uses positive CSR, the practices of the business consider the environment and the people who reside within the environment. Sometimes decisions have to be made within a brand that are difficult, but ultimately will benefit and account for CSR and corporate philanthropy. McCartney makes these difficult decisions in order to help consumers make more ethical choices when buying from the brand. Stella McCartney is a brand that is aligned with its purpose and is able to communicate its message effectively across to customers (Londrigan and Jenkins, 2018).
Brands need to know how to communicate its purpose across the Generation Z whose values are shifting from those of past generations. They look beyond tangible products and have higher expectations from brands than earlier generations. Gen Z questions what the missions and purpose of a brand is and expects them to deliver to a high standard. (McKinsey & Company, 2020).
Balis (2023) considers how brands can best communicate with Gen Z through using the right influencers, create brand stories that embrace vulnerability and openness, cross boundaries to stand out and avoid clone culture as influence relies on originality which is not able to materialise if everyone uses the same trend driven ideas.
Brands have to take purpose into account, especially in this current time where there is no space in the industry for brands with and lack of direction and message.
References
Mckinsey & Company (2020) Meet Generation Z: Shaping the future of Shopping. (Accessed 26/11/23)
Mitterfellner, O. (2023) Luxury Fashion Brand Management and sustainability: Unifying fashion with sustainability. New York: Routledge. (Ebook) Proquest (Accessed 26/11/23)
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/reader.action?docID=7260416
Londrigan, M.P., & Jenkins, J.M. (2018). Fashion Supply Chain Management. New York: Fairchild. (Ebook) Bloomsbury Fashion Central (Accessed 26/11/23)
https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/encyclopedia?docid=b-9781501317798
Walker-Said, C., and J. D. Kelly (2015), Corporate Social Responsibility? Human Rights in the New Global Economy, University of Chicago Press.
Balis, Janet. (2023) How the Best Brand-Influencer Partnerships reach Gen Z. Harvard Business Review. (Accessed 26/11/23)