What is Fashion Advertising?

Fashion Advertising is a section within the advertising field, focusing mainly on the promotion of fashion in the fashion industry. The main goal of Fashion Advertising is to evoke the potential consumer to either buy their product or be exposed to the brand. Advertisements want to get the consumer intrigued and excited about the clothes in the ad, making them want to buy the clothes. 

As an advertiser, fashion advertisements have specific things that need to be included in the ad; the company or store logo, the clothing, and a backdrop (plan white or a set background). One of my personal favourite promotional campaigns for the clothing company, Mulberry, was a promotional video that featured a very interesting backdrop that complimented the clothes, which is what the perfect fashion advertisement does.

Advertising is crucial for the designer or brand, because advertising is what gets their clothes out into the media. The ways to advertise for fashion is by advertising in commercials, in print (such as magazines or newspapers), billboards and editorials. Another way designers get their fashion out there is by celebrity endorsements, either in the ad or wearing the clothing at special events/red carpets. Fashion advertisements also promotes a lifestyle, such as this advertising campaign for Alexander Wang.

When promoting a specific lifestyle with the product, the consumer feels that when they buy the product, they will be apart of a certain group within a lifestyle who also has that product. Different brands/stores/companies will want different tones to their advertisements, depending on what target they are trying to market; wealthy market vs. middle class market.

For more information, watch eHow's video on Careers in Fashion: 

I believe fashion advertising is the best possible way for designers to either get their name out in the industry, or to sell products. There are so many mediums in which fashion advertisements can take place, such as magazines, television commercials, endorsements by celebrities, and by Out of Home advertising, such as transit shelters.

Missrepresentation: Do Women in the Media have Power?

Recently I saw this trailer and it really hit me hard. Pat Mitchell (CEO of Paley Centre for Media) says this quote in this trailer:

"The media is both the message and the messenger"

That quote makes so much sense when you think about it. When connecting that quote to other topics I have covered in this blog, (sexualization of women/violence in fashion advertising), its quite easy to realize that the only reason why these things are somewhat okay in this society, is because advertisements and the media put out this message that more or less says "It's okay to sexualize women, you get to wear Jack Will's panties if you do." 

The media essentially tells people its okay to make fun of a women because the media and advertisements do it. I can't begin to tell you the amount of times I have heard the "Women belong in the kitchen" joke that many teenage boys use nowadays, and I think that stems back on how many degrading advertisements that feature women. If the media continues to degrade the most powerful women in North America, how can any women be powerful and rise above this discrimination?

I think that the fact that advertisements show many girls being degraded, that its become okay for a lot of advertisements to show that.

(As an example of how the media criticizes woman in the industry, here is a video of the women of The View discussing how the media criticizes Michelle Obama's fashion)

Pros and Cons: Using Celebrities in Fashion Advertising Campaigns

We live in a very media and celebrity driven world. Everyone wants to know everything to do with every celebrity, including what they are wearing. When using a celebrity in your fashion advertising campaign, they become the face of your company. Choosing a credible celebrity can be very hard, because they don't always stay the same. What they are advertising must seem relevant to them too. 

Pros:

• Celebrity Endorsement
• Promotion
• Consumers know celebrities = Pay more attention to the ad than they would if it was someone they do not know

Cons:

• Celebrities are seen in a bad image could mean the Brand is seen in a bad way also
• Celebrity could "outshine" the brand
• Celebrity could wear a different brand, shows disloyalty to the Brand they are endorsing

I think that if a brand has a very distinct image, choosing a celebrity to endorse their product and star in their campaign can be very risky, because things can change very quickly in the media.  

Advertising Influence on Trends and Brands

Fashion Trends: A fad, sometimes called a trend, meme or a craze, is any form of behavior that develops among a large population and is collectively followed with enthusiasm for some period, generally as a result of the behavior's being perceived as novel in some way. (x)

Every trend always comes back. Every brand always puts their own spin on the trend to make it new and fresh. How do people know what is on trend this season? Advertisements for clothing. 

By looking through magazines, readers see the different advertisements for different Brands for new clothing. This creates interest for the consumer, they feel like they need this article of clothing for the new season. This need then becomes a want. Some of these advertisements may feature popular celebrities, which also helps generate promotion for the product because many people follow what celebrities wear/do. People always want to fulfil the new fashion.

As an example, two trends that have returned over the summer and fall are the Jean Jacket and the Wide Legged Pant, something my mother recalls from her late twenties. 

Advertisers must develop campaigns to not only promote the product, but to promote the new trend and create a need and a want for the consumer.


Advertisements in magazines and television commercials is the easiest way to influence consumers to see and want the product. I, myself, know that when you see an advertisement and the model is wearing a new style/trend, you feel like you should have it. 

Advertising Fashion: Print vs. Online

When a consumer flips through a magazine, they are bombarded with fashion advertisements. How does a brand advertise their clothing online in a unique way to catch attention from web users? 

It's hard to convert print advertising to online advertising, because they are two different advertising mediums. When making a campaign, the advertising agency must have something different from their print advertisements to their online advertisements. Online advertisements can all be very different; single pictures, moving pictures, pop-up advertisements, and promotional advertising on blogs. The movement towards iPad's being used to read newspapers and magazines also need to be taken into consideration, because now advertisements that would normally be print for magazines, can be turned into different online advertisements, as a GIF/moving advertisement. 

Many brands are creating their own blogs and other social networking sites to advertise their products along with print advertisement. Spending is changing from brands paying for print and television advertising to advertise on their own networks. When it comes to advertising brands/fashion, a current trend to remember is that many people are shopping online now. Having an interactive shopping website can help consumers decide what products they want and give them a positive online experience.

For example, Warby Parker sells sunglasses and eyeglasses. Not only do they give a pair to someone who needs them when you need a pair, but when deciding what pair you want, they give you the option of the "virtual try on"; a way to try on your glasses using your webcam.

As someone who does online shop, this is such a good tool to have. The consumer will know what they are going to expect when they get their glasses in the mail, and they won't have to return them. I believe this is the best advantage online advertising has over print, the ability to engage the customer with the products, something print advertising can't really do.

Sexualization of Women and Girls in Fashion Advertising

When our world is so cluttered by advertisements everywhere we go, how does an advertisement stand out? By having that advertisement that catches your eye immediately with its wow-factor. The demand for younger and younger models are growing in the Fashion Industry more and more, especially in Print Advertisements. 

So when does the Sexualization of Women in Fashion Advertising draw a line?

Recently in North America, there has been outrage over a French company that produces "loungerie", lounge wear and lingerie combined. This would probably be somewhat reasonable, if the target market for this clothing wasn't for 4 - 12 year old girls. The line is called "Jours Après Lunes", and it includes bras, panties, etc. Many people in the Fashion Industry were quite shocked that a company had 12 year old girls photographed for the advertisements, wearing makeup and the revealing clothing, and posing in ways that were too premature for them. Many publications said that they couldn't even publish the photos on their blogs and new sites due to the photographs being too inappropriate to post. However, according to wishididntknow.com, the Europeans would most likely be less offended by the advertisements/pictures.

(Part Two to follow..)

Sexualization of Women and Girls in Fashion Advertising - 2

Jack Wills Advertisements Banned for Sexualization of Women

Jack Wills, a popular clothing company in the UK, had their advertisements banned for Sexualizing Women in the advertisements. According to Jack Wills, the advertising campaign is intended ‘to project a positive, fun and sometimes flirtatious’ image it believes was an accurate reflection of student life.' The 4 different advertisements all had different sexualizations of women, with the fourth one being the most criticized with concern.

"The fourth advert caused the most concern. It shows a young man and a young woman embracing and kissing. The man is shirtless and the woman wearing only knickers. The side of her breast is clearly visible, the ASA said." (x)

 The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) said that the advertisements may depict an appealing lifestyle that other younger target markets may feel they want/need, not just the 18+ target market they were targeting to. Many of the articles that I have read have stated that Jack Wills marketing team should know that even if you are targeting an older teenager market, you will always have younger pre-teens looking at those advertisements, believing that they should act like that now or when they are older. Liz Fraser in this article even stated that Britain has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Western Europe, which is even more of a reason why the marketing team should be more knowledgeable when they are advertising.

 The advertising pamphlet, which was called "Spring Term Handbook", breached advertising laws, governing harm and offence to children. Jack Wills is not allowed to produce those advertisements again.

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As I stated in Part 1, when does the Sexualization of Women in Fashion Advertising draw a line?

I personally think that any Sexualization of Women in any Advertisement is a bad idea, for every age. When advertisements have young girls in provocative clothing, that is sexualization girls that are too young to even know what they are doing. When advertisements feature teenage girls being sexualized, not only does it make other teenage girls feel like they should be like that, but it makes younger girls feel that way too. Hopefully one day advertisers will not use women and girls as sexual objects as advertising campaigns.