Connect
The idea of community building drives this first communication strategy—the sense of belonging, connecting with people who share the same beliefs, values, and ideas. People are fatigued by last year's events and seek a genuine connection with people in and out of social media. As a result, brands will have to focus even more on nurturing their existing communities and building stronger relationships with their customers. Listening and adapting to their needs, desires, and emotions becomes key to create a connection.
Building on the four C's – connection, conservation, conversion, and community becomes crucial at a time of uncertainty. Metrics like empathy, culture and adaptability quotient have shown to be effective when it comes to brand communication, underlining that in 2021 nurturing communities are key.
According to Sid Lee, "community quotient" is a new metric of organisational success, measuring the strength of the bond between brands and consumers, coining community as personal identity, social capital, oneness, and mobilisation (Owen, Napoli, 2021: on line). To achieve brand loyalty and build on connection, brands will have to listen to their consumer's needs and focus on nurturing their existing communities.
Brand loyalty has become a crucial aspect of fashion marketing. Over the years, we have seen that especially Generation Z and Millennials are searching for value-driven brands that share a mission and vision people can connect to. A banal proposal of "just clothes" is not enough anymore for people to buy into your brand and most certainly not to return. The number of brands available is higher than ever before, and the competition never sleeps. Therefore, purpose-driven communication has become vital for brands to connect with their customers.
Community building has been a central topic at the beginning of the pandemic and has since evolved in different directions. As the world and people face existential threats, consumers demand brands to make a change and take the initiative to better the world. Brands are expected to join the purpose conversation for social justice or sustainability, requiring a purpose-centric company first. Therefore, internal change must precede external communication. Inclusivity, diversity, equality and sustainability are non-negotiable and fundamental pillars brands should develop strategies around. Those topics need an ongoing process of learning, listening and understanding and hence require an in-depth analysis that will not be included in this report.
However, in this section, we will look at other winning strategies for brands to sustain their community and build a connection with their customers to stay relevant. As the pandemic has hit the world at an unexpected and rapid speed, brands had to find their niche of communication fast to remain in contact with their customers. As a result, we have seen them connect with their community emotionally, adapting their messaging to fuel peoples longing for physical connection and the human touch. In addition, there were new ways of nurturing an even deeper community with unique community content and personalised experiences and a rise in solidarity with local communities and initiatives to support those communities.
Human Touch
The longing for human touch comes with no surprise regarding a year of isolation and distancing. People were forced to stay away from their loved ones, fuelling uncertainty and fear of physical connections. Brand messaging is a great way to create some sort of escape, representing the needs and desires of people. Fashion communication is used as a tool to tap into customers' base urges, offering them a space for their dreams and desires.
Fashion has always worked on the idea of creating and fuelling people's desires. The outcome is always the same – giving people what they want – however the message is constantly changing. Sex, intimacy and sensuality, themes that have had their height during the Tom Ford Gucci era and suddenly disappeared from the fashion radar in the middle of the 2010s, are seeing a return to the fashion language. After a year-plus of lockdowns and vaccine campaigns in full force, verboten activities like partying and dancing and scary things like physical touch and interacting with strangers become desirable. Consumers seem to be ready to embrace fashion and sex again. However, the post-pandemic campaigns of sex are far more inclusive, featuring queer and gender-nonconforming models and are stepping away from the straight male gazed idea of sex.
Diesel “When Together” Spring 2021 Ad Campaign by Diesel Creative Director Glenn Martens and Director & Photographer Cheryl Dunn
body as freedom
freedom to love and loving freely
behind closed doors
explores the romantic world of eight diverse and genuine couples
desire for physical touch
reflects on togetherness, absence and love
the message: desire for a better future - hope, optimism, inclusivity
Pros:
captures the emotions of (some) people
shows inclusivity, equality and love for one another
conveys hope, optimism and a better future ahead
very authentic and real approach of storytelling
the people are in the centre of the message
Cons:
some people might find it vulgar or untasteful
not everyone will like the idea of love - as for example, newly single people
if the concept of the Ad is unknown the message gets lost
Koché Pre-Spring 2021 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Christelle Kocher & Photographers Suzie and Leo
body as narration
poetic representation of behind the scenes
nude models placed in buzzing studio
the message: deconstruction of fashion, reconsidering most essential element - the human body
feels sexy but not obscene
celebrating the human body as the natural inspiration for fashion
puts people at centre of message
centres sincerity, authenticity and the body
Pros:
a creative approach on advertising
a unique way of messaging
draws attention to the brand
the product becomes secondary; the customer is the centre
Cons:
the line between sexy and vulgar is thin
does not give much insight into the brand
Zhilyova Lingerie “Ex Machina” Spring 2021 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Zhilyova Valeria with Photographer/Director Natalia Ivanova with models Victoria Yarovaya & Kateryna Edison
body as desire
tension between human body and technology, reality and image
woman meets machine
process of scanning all angles of the female body to create avatar
the message: importance of body and uniqueness of image
lingerie has its element of sexy, revealing and covering different parts of body
thoughtful consideration of what it means to have a body
Pros:
unique way of displaying lingerie
gives room for interpretation
combines an element of physical and digital
Cons:
the message might not be clear to everyone
Community Content
Building a community means connecting through shared values, beliefs, identities or even hobbies. For brands, it will be crucial to find their niche and nurture their community on a deeper level. In 2021 this means communicating to their community and centre the consumer, building experiences, fostering relationships, or even teaching their customers something new. Hence, brands will have to focus on producing exclusive and personalized content to nurture their community.
With the rise of social networks like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, fashion content has suffered from saturation. Combined with peoples longing for authenticity, communities started seeking out niche spaces to find like-minded communities and hold their conversations. Platforms like TikTok, Patreon, Twitch, Thriller and OnlyFans are networks with a community-driven structure offering brands a new playground to create deeper connections with mega fans (Rodgers, 2021: on line).
JW Anderson´s Colourblock Patchwork Cardigan TikTok Challange
understand what people desire and given them what they want
JW Anderson colourblock cardigan worn by Harry Styles
TikToker´s started to hand knit their own pieces
Anderson proposed a video tutorial and a knit pattern for his community
the message: inclusivity and fashion for all
way of nurturing and interacting with ones community
creating unique content for everyon
“I am so impressed and incredibly humbled by this trend and everyone knitting the cardigan. I really wanted to show our appreciation so we are sharing the pattern with everyone. Keep it up! x Jonathan”
Pros:
nurtures ones community
shows inclusivity and a space for all
customer is more important than sales
draws visibility due to trend and shares
Cons:
missing out on sales
customers might not buy due to loss of exclusivity
Rebecca Minkoff OnlyFans special content account
among first designers to join subscription-based social network OnlyFans
exclusive content and behind the scenes images to community
seek new platforms to connect with customers
deepen relationship with brand and designer
the message: connection, part of a community and loyalty
“As a company, we always want to be a part of emerging platforms to better connect with our customers. Joining OnlyFans offers a new way for us to leverage our loyal fanbase as a brand and provide exclusive content that otherwise may not be available on other platforms.”
Pros:
exploring new platforms to connect with your community
less saturated and less competition
subscription based – extra earning for exclusive content
builds brand loyalty and creates interest
Cons:
OnlyFans is still seen as an adult only platform
not many people are on the app yet
Burberry partners with Twitch to livestream its Spring Sumer 2021 show experience set in the British outdoors, including a selection of livestream hosts using Twitch´s unique Squad Stream functionality
among first designers to use Twitch to livestream the latest collection
offering possibility for viewers to interacts and engage
giving them a phygital experience
offering the possibility to watch multiple perspective and creating a personal, inclusive experience
Twitch expanded roots from gaming to music, art and fashion
the message: engaging with community through curated content and experiences
Pros:
exploring new platforms
connecting on new levels with community
creating interaction and engagement
offering a personalised, unique and limited experience
Cons:
no way to re-enter the experience if missed
limited visibility
