{"id":3237,"date":"2022-04-22T08:50:14","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T06:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.lineapelle-fair.it\/?p=3237"},"modified":"2022-04-27T14:40:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T12:40:07","slug":"the-four-ways-to-dialogue-with-the-market-and-remain-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.lineapelle-fair.it\/en\/focus-en\/the-four-ways-to-dialogue-with-the-market-and-remain-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"The four ways to dialogue with the market and remain yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

Consumer sensitivity towards luxury brands and fashion, in general, is undergoing a constant revolution. Based on inclusivity and identification, the most recent guidelines require brands to seek a balance continually. The aim is to develop their business without affecting their positioning and defending their brand equity as best as possible. How? In these four ways, for example…\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In collaboration with Altavia<\/a><\/p>\n

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The revolution in the relationship <\/strong>between fashion brands and people is a fact. There is now a widespread awareness <\/strong>that the idea of exclusivity <\/strong>and the desire to emulate <\/strong>no longer play the role they traditionally did. The new generations are choosing to emphasise each individual\u2019s differences and specific uniqueness<\/strong> with their purchasing choices. And – above all – they seek identification <\/strong>in brands that must be perceived as inclusive<\/strong>. However, how brands in the luxury segment must coexist with the need to maintain a high positioning in this new widespread sensibility is a question that remains partially unresolved<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The search for balance is continuous in order to develop <\/strong>their business without affecting <\/strong>their positioning and defending <\/strong>their brand equity as <\/strong>best as possible. Moreover, the increase in the possibilities of contact between brands and people is developing in an increasingly fast-paced and demanding context<\/strong>, where more and more channels <\/strong>need to be covered <\/strong>and a careful and constant strategic reflection <\/strong>is required.<\/p>\n

The extreme case of Hermes, which has limited its production by leveraging the principle of scarcity to increase desirability, prompts the question of whether more experiential channels <\/strong>could even replace the product. All of this while recovering a dimension of expectation <\/strong>that digital commerce has completely disabused us. So here are the four ways in which brands can dialogue with the market while maintaining <\/strong>their fundamental characteristics of reputation and prestige. We have identified five.<\/p>\n

The four ways to dialogue with the market <\/strong><\/h3>\n

1 > Heritage first <\/strong><\/h3>\n

One’s history is perhaps the only genuinely inalienable and distinctive element<\/strong>. In a world less and less interested in the product itself, inimitable intangible elements play a critical competitive role<\/strong>. Fashion is a cultural phenomenon before being an aesthetic one, and, in the new world in search of sustainability and inclusion, it has discovered the importance of an ethical dimension<\/strong>. Brands must be a set of values and models <\/strong>in which the individual can participate even before asking the utilitarian question of purchasing.<\/p>\n

Telling the story of one’s origins, the reasons for starting a business, and how it has evolved over the years, not forgetting the highs and lows, engages the public emotionally and gives the brand authority<\/strong>. Today there are numerous phygital touchpoints that can be used in this sense. For example, by activating operations to recover historical material <\/strong>and enhance the value of business archives<\/strong>. Building multiple interactive experiences that would see the identity roots of the brands as the most interesting differentiating element.<\/p>\n

2 > Being where it matters <\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is in dialogue <\/strong>that the brand realises the meaning of its existence on the market<\/strong>. The protagonists can only be the people with their individual desires and needs. Even the product becomes an element of storytelling <\/strong>that is part of this exchange<\/strong>. The ability to communicate and support people in their customer journey <\/strong>in the best channel to satisfy their needs becomes the critical element of the relationship<\/strong>. The communication of luxury brands must discover the “optichannel” dimension<\/strong>, as much as possible, personalized with a data-driven approach <\/strong>that favours dialogue and exchange of opinions with the reference public. Being present in every channel with the continuous publication of new content risks creating real inflation of meaning<\/strong>. But also to make the brand lose that aura of exceptionality that characterises luxury.<\/p>\n

A brand communicates only through its choices<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n

3 > Exploring new models of competition <\/strong><\/h3>\n

In order to expand one’s market <\/strong>beyond traditional customers without distorting the perceived value of the brand, one way is to seek comparisons <\/strong>with other industries and other brands. More and more often, we see innovative commercial proposals<\/strong> born from the joint work of different realities<\/strong>. Collaborations can be between different fashion brands, with the release of capsule collections, such as those signed by Supreme together with Comme des Gar\u00e7ons <\/strong>and Louis Vuitton<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Or between clothing and other worlds. For example, as in the case of the co-branding operations proposed by Fiat and Gucci <\/strong>or by Algida and Dolce & Gabbana<\/strong>. The coopetition <\/strong>dimension is the most interesting <\/strong>in a world that will be less and less able to value and support direct and ‘muscular’ confrontations. Competing only for the value generated, cooperating to build new opportunities<\/strong> is an innovative approach. As well as being better suited to maximising <\/strong>the beneficial effects for the community of the contemporary market.<\/p>\n

4 > Walking the path of being, not the \u201chaving\u201d one <\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is the basic assumption<\/strong>. If the purchase is identity<\/strong>, the idea of possession is becoming <\/strong>increasingly liquid<\/strong>, emptying itself of meaning and transferring its values (concrete and figurative) to the dimension of experience<\/strong>. We are part of a cultural revolution <\/strong>that sees the ability to transmit emotions and inspire and share its nerve centres. The measurement is that of the needs of human beings for human beings<\/strong>. Brands must play a leading role in this change by building meeting points where people can enjoy unforgettable experiences full of meaning<\/strong>. The places for this action can be digital, such as the recent exploit of the Metaverse<\/strong>. Or they can be more concrete, such as the commitment to enhance their retail networks as a point of relationship with the customer. All, however, must be designed and implemented <\/strong>with the explicit intention of preferring the dimension of being to that of having<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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