Fashion and Media Final Study Guide

Sustainable fashion

- 5 socio-economic trends behind sustainable business models: -- Consumer awareness (capsule wardrobe; slow fashion) -- Circular economy (recycling) -- Corporate social responsibility (locally source; sweatshop free) -- Sharing economy and collaborative consumption (second hand) -- Technological innovation (zero waste) - InToscana is an Italian website that showcases sustainable fashion. - Rifo is an example of a sustainable Italian fashion company that emphasizes sustainability in its business model, using circular economics.

Fashion magazines- (features and contents; Italian fashion magazines)

- A key resource for fashion, by reflecting popular culture and social change; the revenue generated from advertising is crucial - Can be printed or digital (multiplatform strategy) - Italian fashion magazines: Grazia (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, since 1938), Donna Moderna (more tabloid-like). Amica (more tabloid-like), Vanity Fair Italia, Vogue Italia - Supplement to newspapers: D by La Repubblica and IO Donna by Il Corriere della Sera Contents of magazines: - Masthead - Editorial Calendar - Articles that include research and interviews, a title, the lead, writing, rewriting & editing, and getting published

Intercultural conflict

- A mismatch of expectations. - It is when cultural universals do not align. - What is deemed appropriate in one culture may be completely offensive in another. - An example of this would be how people accidentally offend people of other cultures for things that they did not even know were offensive in the first place.

The promotional mix

- All activities should help influence the consumers path-to-purchase: -- A: attention (increase brand awareness) -- I: interest (increase interest in brand) -- D: desire (promote a favorable disposition towards brand and stimulate the desire to purchase item) -- A: action (guide purchase intention leading to eventual purchase)- fully effective when purchase happens The promotional mix includes: advertising sales promotion visual merchandising public relations personal selling

Anna Piaggi

- Anna Piaggi was an iconic fashion journalist - She created Doppie Pagine in Vogue Italia - She is famous for influencing and dictating trends and drawing inspiration from a plethora of fields: art and design, cooking and cinema, theater and botany. - She had an incredibly unique way of writing about fashion and she made her writing a whole visual experience with her invention of collages.

Futurism

- Avant-garde movement that began in 1909 that aimed to reconstruct the universe through the design of objects and spaces using the mass media. - It valued speed, dynamism, and innovation. - In futurism, outfits were geared toward military superiority. It had more loud colors and radical shapes - Giacomo Balla was considered the father of futurist fashion and began designing suits in 1912 with asymmetrical cuts and diagonal surface patterns with bright colors.

Promotion in the fashion industry

- Communicate the product value after it has been established through the product itself, its pricing, and its placement - Bloggers (Chiara Ferragani) have become fundamental promotional channels - Involves developing a promotional mix to capture consumers' attention, raise consumers' level of interest, stimulate desire, and drive consumers to take action by purchasing the product. - An example is the #mycalvins campaign for Calvin Klein. They used billboards and social media to launch this campaign.

Fashion and mobile media

- Customers use mobile devices depending on Time, goal, location, mood - Use the right combination of technologies in order to communicate with a particular audience - Digital magazines allow for more immersive experiences - Fashion websites need to be accessible - Create personalized experiences through push notifications and messaging - Enhance mobile shopping experience with QR codes - Gucci has an app where users can virtually try-on items and learn about the Gucci Garden and Osteria as a way of immersing oneself in the brand

Cultural universals

- Generalizations that may apply to specific cultures - They are manifestations of the total way of life of any group of people - This includes bodily adornments, courtship, etiquette, family gestures, joking, mealtimes, music, personal names, status differentiation, and trade (Example- Italians take time to eat their meals and do so with other people- Brunello Cucinelli cantine of his firm 90 minute lunch) (Italians always need to be well dressed "per fare bella figura")

Fashion Shows- Objectives and Main Elements

- In 1951 Giovanni's Giorgini's house in Florence hosted the first fashion show of Italian fashion brands for US buyers - Main objectives: generating sales, exhibiting a new collection, increase awareness of a designer/brand, produce a show that is distinctive and memorable, reassure buyers that the collection is worth investing, and help generate expectations of the collection and for future collections - Main elements: - plan, theme, audience, and team -- fashion plan → defines the theme, leadership team, type of show, schedule, place, target audience, and planned budget -- different teams working together -- target audience: media journalists; influential customers; friends of the designer; celebrities; online audience -- a theme with a creative title

The making of Italian fashion through cinema and television

- In the 1930s, there was a rapid development of Italian cinema due to a reorganization under fascism. - Fascist subsidies for cinema where LUCE newsreels pushed fascist propaganda through compulsory showings in all movie theaters - The first LUCE fashion film was in 1928 - Cinema/films in Rome and America (In the 1950s and 1960s there was boom of worldwide recognition of Italian fashion due to films in Rome and America) - After WWII, Rome underwent a "cultural rebirth" - 1949: "magic year" of Roman fashion and style when Tyrone Power married actress Linda Christian, both dressed in Italian brands - Italian fashion houses collaborated with American costume designers for American films Made in Italy during the 1950s/1960s in the Cinecittà studios - 1960s: "Roman style" was even more popularized- La Dolce Vita (become a trope for Italian style, fashion, and glamor)

Italian media geography

- In the first half of the 20th century, there was an explicit division of tasks among different geographical locations which contributed to cultural unity. - Polycentric system and a peaceful sharing of roles -- Milan- capital of publishing and advertising industry (books and magazines) -- Rome- capital of audiovisual media/film production/cinema (since 1920s-1930s) and television broadcasting since 1950s (Cinecitta = the Italian Hollywood and La Dolce Vita) -- Turin- capital of radio and telephone networks -- Naples- capital of popular mass culture (TV series broadcast on RAI) - This relates to spreading the iconicity of Italian fashion worldwide as Italian fashion brands are featured in Milan-based magazines such as Amica and were also promoted in classic cinematic productions such as Roman Holiday.

Advertising (in the fashion industry)

- Inform: launch a new product; suggest new uses for an existing product; announce price change; correcting misinformation; building positive brand image - Persuade: encouraging brand of product switch; developing brand preference; offering reasons to purchase now; changing perceptions of a product - Remind: maintain customer relationships; remind where to buy; remind the need for a product; keep a product in mind when it is not seasonal

Management across culture

- Involves the ability to recognize and embrace similarities and differences among nations and cultures and then approach key organizational and strategic issues with an open and curious mind - An example is the Alula 2022 Fashion Show by Dolce and Gabbanna in Saudi Arabia. D&G embraced the differences between Italian and Saudi Arabian cultures by producing items that displayed vibrant colors, beads, textiles on conservative clothing to pay homage to the host country and culture. - Glocalization depends on this!

The customer and buyer

- Private buyer- usually very wealthy people, personalized dresses. - Commercial buyer- mainly North American department stores around the 1920s-1930s (influencers, they decide what to make) - The US helped Italian fashion and the rise of the Made in Italy: -- Helps Italian businesses to sell their products in US from 1945-49 -- Effective coverage in the major American fashion magazines -- Favorite products were leather (Gucci) and accessories

Fashion influencers in Italy

- The public typically trusts the recommendations of an influencer more than other forms of traditional advertising. - Influencer marketing has proven to be very effective for brands - Main Italian influencer is Chiara Ferragni; she started with her blog The Blonde Salad in 2009 and now she designs her personal fashion items collections; landing an advertising post / story on IG is extremely expensive. (luxury brands and franchising brands like Tezenis)

Intercultural Communication

- These skills are vital to remain competitive in today's climate, so many companies train their employees in cross-cultural communication. - Building trust and developing relationships among business partners can have huge payoffs within a business - Cultural context of an organization is often synonymous with the country's culture. - Understanding environmental, perceptual, verbal, nonverbal, and relational contexts of other cultures will help reduce and manage conflict in the workplace.

Social media marketing strategy (for the fashion industry)

- This is building a visual roadmap that involves -- Listening -- Media conversation and rules of engagement -- Consistency in content -- Developing a brand persona -- Development of engaging content -- Integrate social media marketing -- Measure and adjust -- The power of collaboration - A social media marketing strategy is utilized by many Italian fashion brands, such as Prada to communicate and promote their brand to consumers. They have an Instagram account with clear, consistent, and engaging content that is posted to their profile.