Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands

Abstract In this highly competitive market, fashion brands struggle to distinguish themselves to increasingly apathetic consumers. To become more competitive, fashion retailers employ emotional branding as a way to engage their customers, addressing the growing trend of consumers’ seeking emotional...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Youn-Kyung Kim, Pauline Sullivan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2019-02-01
Series:Fashion and Textiles
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40691-018-0164-y
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author Youn-Kyung Kim
Pauline Sullivan
author_facet Youn-Kyung Kim
Pauline Sullivan
author_sort Youn-Kyung Kim
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In this highly competitive market, fashion brands struggle to distinguish themselves to increasingly apathetic consumers. To become more competitive, fashion retailers employ emotional branding as a way to engage their customers, addressing the growing trend of consumers’ seeking emotional relationships with a brand. Although brand technicalities such as product attributes, features, and facts may be unmemorable, personal feelings and experiences better shape consumers’ evaluations of brands. This study illustrates why emotional branding is essential, especially to fashion brands, when developing brand strategies in a volatile marketplace. Trends that support a need for these strategies include consumers’ desires for positive experiences, expressing authentic self, achieving warm glow from helping others, and co-creating design or ideas with the brand. We propose a model for emotional branding strategies that focuses on sensory branding, storytelling, cause branding, and empowerment. The case studies we provide for each strategy describe how fashion brands can engage customers through emotional branding.
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spelling doaj.art-3799544cf2864c85a2f82652e7099e702022-12-22T01:06:46ZengSpringerOpenFashion and Textiles2198-08022019-02-016111610.1186/s40691-018-0164-yEmotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brandsYoun-Kyung Kim0Pauline Sullivan1Professor, Retail and Consumer Sciences, Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of TennesseeAssociate Professor, Human Sciences, Tennessee State UniversityAbstract In this highly competitive market, fashion brands struggle to distinguish themselves to increasingly apathetic consumers. To become more competitive, fashion retailers employ emotional branding as a way to engage their customers, addressing the growing trend of consumers’ seeking emotional relationships with a brand. Although brand technicalities such as product attributes, features, and facts may be unmemorable, personal feelings and experiences better shape consumers’ evaluations of brands. This study illustrates why emotional branding is essential, especially to fashion brands, when developing brand strategies in a volatile marketplace. Trends that support a need for these strategies include consumers’ desires for positive experiences, expressing authentic self, achieving warm glow from helping others, and co-creating design or ideas with the brand. We propose a model for emotional branding strategies that focuses on sensory branding, storytelling, cause branding, and empowerment. The case studies we provide for each strategy describe how fashion brands can engage customers through emotional branding.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40691-018-0164-yEmotional brandingConsumer experienceAuthentic selfWarm glowCo-creationSensory branding
spellingShingle Youn-Kyung Kim
Pauline Sullivan
Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands
Fashion and Textiles
Emotional branding
Consumer experience
Authentic self
Warm glow
Co-creation
Sensory branding
title Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands
title_full Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands
title_fullStr Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands
title_full_unstemmed Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands
title_short Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands
title_sort emotional branding speaks to consumers heart the case of fashion brands
topic Emotional branding
Consumer experience
Authentic self
Warm glow
Co-creation
Sensory branding
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40691-018-0164-y
work_keys_str_mv AT younkyungkim emotionalbrandingspeakstoconsumersheartthecaseoffashionbrands
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