Fashion Marketing – JSS3 Fashion and Garment Making Lesson Note (Second Term)

Fashion marketing is the process of telling people about your clothes and convincing them to buy from you instead of from someone else.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define fashion marketing and name its four activities.
2. Describe the main ways a fashion brand can advertise.
3. Explain four sales strategies used by fashion businesses.
4. State the 4 Ps of fashion marketing and explain each one.
5. Plan a simple marketing idea for a small fashion brand.

What is fashion marketing?

Fashion marketing is everything a designer does to make customers know, want and buy their clothes.

• Reason: a tailor can sew beautiful gowns, but if nobody knows about the work, there will be no sales.
• Wider meaning: it covers more than selling. It includes research, design, advertising and sales.
• Image: in fashion, image matters a great deal. People buy a feeling or a style, as well as a shirt.

What are the four activities in fashion marketing?

1. Research: finding out what people want to wear.
2. Design: creating the right look for those customers.
3. Advertising: telling people about the clothes.
4. Sales: making it easy for people to buy.

Who are target customers?

Target customers are the group of people a brand designs and sells its clothes for.

• Children: need clothes that are colourful, comfortable and strong.
• Teenagers: usually want the latest trends and styles.
• Adults: may want office wear, casual wear or clothes for ceremonies.
• Why it matters: knowing your customers helps you choose the style, price and advertising method.

What is fashion advertising?

Fashion advertising is the way a fashion brand gets attention and makes people aware of its clothes.

There are three main ways to advertise: social media, traditional ads and fashion shows.

1. Social media (the modern way)

• Platforms: most brands use Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
• Content: they post beautiful photos and videos of their clothes.
• Influencers: brands give free clothes to famous people, called influencers, to wear.
• Effect: when fans see their idol in a dress, they also want to buy it.

2. Traditional ads

• Billboards: big posters on the road showing models in nice clothes.
• Magazines: glossy pages that show the latest trends.
• Radio and TV: catchy songs (jingles) or commercials.

3. Fashion shows

• Meaning: models walk on a runway to show a new collection.
• Effect: it creates excitement.
• Brand image: it makes the brand look high-class.

How do the advertising methods compare?

What are sales strategies in fashion?

A sales strategy is a plan that makes interested people actually pay for your clothes.

Fashion businesses commonly use four strategies.

1. Discounts and sales

• Examples: “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” or “50% Off”.
• Effect: customers feel they are getting a bargain.
• Result: they buy quickly before the price goes back up.

2. Limited edition

• Example: a brand says, “We only made 20 of these jackets.”
• Scarcity: this means there are very few items available.
• Effect: people rush to buy because they want to be among the few owners.

3. Visual merchandising (window display)

• Meaning: arranging clothes, mannequins and displays so the shop looks attractive.
• Example: a mannequin dressed so nicely that people stop to look.
• Effect: if the window looks good, people will enter the shop.

4. Customer loyalty

• Meaning: rewarding customers who buy from you often.
• Examples: a small gift or a discount card.
• Effect: customers come back again and again.

What are the 4 Ps of fashion marketing?

The 4 Ps are Product, Price, Place and Promotion, the four things every fashion business must get right.

Why must a fashion business be honest?

A fashion brand is a promise to its customers, so honesty protects the business.

• Promise: your brand tells customers what quality to expect.
• Risk: if you advertise high quality but sell poor fabric, your marketing will fail in the long run.
• Rule: always be honest with your customers.

Evaluation

1. Define fashion marketing.
2. List the four activities in fashion marketing.
3. Name three traditional ways of advertising fashion.
4. What is scarcity, and how does a limited edition use it?
5. State the 4 Ps of fashion marketing and explain any two.

Assignment

Imagine you have started a brand called “Junior Stars Fashion”. Answer the three questions below.

1. Who are your customers: children, teenagers or adults?
2. Write a short jingle or social media caption to sell a new pair of jeans.
3. Would you prefer to sell your clothes in a market or on Instagram? Give one reason.