Marketing Strategies In The Fashion Industry

INTRODUCTION

This dissertation aims to analyze the potential and strategic importance of the marketing field within the complex world of fashion and luxury. Attention will be paid to the luxury goods sector, with particular reference to the “made in Italy”. Marketing strategies for foreign brands have been broadly dealt within the literature while hardly any focus is placed on the italian luxury fashion business. In this regard, it will be taken in cosideration a typical italian reality which is the family owned italian fashion companies that through the implementation of brilliant and various marketing strategies have achieved over the years an unparalleled worldwide success. The choice of this specific topic was dictated in part by my deep

These is the reasons why a case study comparison has been chosen as primary data source. Taking in consideration the nature of the investigation, meetings with marketing managers of the companies chosen, Brunello Cucinelli and Dolce Gabbana, provides the opportunity to gather useful and partly reserved information crucial for a better understanding of the different decisions taken by the companies. As part of this research, there has been a face to face interview with openended questions with the marketing management metioned above.

RESEARCH QUESTION:

The research is focused on how crucial is the marketing field for the italian luxury fashion companies comapred to the foreign companies and the economic investement involved.

In order to compete in such a competitive business a strong marketing strategy would be given for granted but for most of the italian family owned fashion companies the concepts of heritage and quality are still the most important competitive advatages. Furthermore, to be alined with the foreign competitors the italian companies should invest substantial amout of money within the marketing field, are they really following this trend?

And which will be the trend for the future?

Do these fashion campanies have the economic power to support such

This combination of modern marketing tools with the concept of “heritage” has led to the creation of the so-called “heritage marketing”.

Cosidering the fact the many foreign fashion companies cannot count on the uncomparable competitive advantages of quality and heritage, italian fashion brands have perfectly understood that the implementation of a marketing strategy pivoted on those two assets is the best possible solution in order to remain extremely competitive on a global scale but with relatively sustainable economic investments.

I consider this startegy a brilliant solution since it allows family owned fashion companies to compete with foreign fashion giants and conglomerates shifting the arena of competition from the purely economic level to some really unique assets they already possess. The marketing relevance within the luxury fashion business is widely recognized but the combination of heritage and modern marketing tools provides the most effective solution for thes companies, now as independent brands but also in the future as part of fashion conglomerates since heritage will always be an intrinsic value of the italian