Do you think there are any top brands that do not advertise? Most of us would assume that advertising is the most effective marketing communications tool. If it does not advertise, is it possible that a brand can become famous and big?
This question has appeared in LSPR's marketing communication class discussion in Jakarta when discussing the design of messages in marketing communications.
In the discussion, the speaker asked a student, "Are you a Starbucks fan?" The student is laughing "Yes". But have we ever seen Starbucks ads?
If we note, the name Starbucks often listed in the mainstream media, but it turns out that advertising is not Starbucks. This is a form of Starbucks co-branding with local banks, such as credit card offers. In this position, Starbucks more to its brand ingredients.
Great Without Advertising Like Zara
Most of us must have known the brand Zara. This is a middle-class Spanish fashion maker who is now the world's largest fashion retail brand. In 2012, the parent company Zara - Inditex - has more than 5,900 including more than 2,000 in Spain. When Europe suffered a recession a few years ago, Zara brand actually climbed to the top of the world fashion business.
Uniquely, it turns out Zara grows into a great fashion brand with little or no marketing campaigns by themselves. Zara also not often tweet. This is not something as other retail businesses do.
According to the New York Times, Zara does not even have a marketing division and is not involved in a flashy campaign, as is often done by rivals who work with renowned fashion designers like Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld, Martin Margiela and Marni.
Zara does not have partnerships with top designers and does not try to give her products with top-class labels. Fashion designer Zara is completely anonymous, some say this because they are more a copier than a designer.
Marketing Inditex (parent company) is really like a real estate business. The company invests heavily in beauty, historical charm and the location of its stores.
The founder of Zara, Mr. Ortega Gaona, is included in the list of one of the richest people in the world. He does not like to be interviewed. Similarly, his successor, Pablo Isla. APR representative who spoke with The New York Times refused to give his name because of the employer's "humble" regulation.
The company does not even create the right ads, no ads at all. Although his reputation is not built to do advertising, Zara actually many "advertise". First, Zara gets a lot of attention through word of mouth promotion. According to the research, customers and users are not ashamed to tell them about Zara to his friends. Zara also benefited from the support of celebrities who are considered as fashion experts, the Duchess of Cambridge one of them.
If Not Advertise, Then What Did Zara Do?
Then how can Zara be great? Simple. They always follow one rule: listen to the voice of your customers, respond and give them something they want. Zara never gives what Zara katakana, but what consumers want that Zara give.
Zara provides fashion designers at affordable prices because it has an effective marketing information system. They seem to catch fashion designs from the catwalk stage or concert and take them to their store very quickly.
How can? All of that Zara gets from the buyer's feedback and Zara fixes the problem that the customer tells him quickly to keep them happy. This is then told his customers to his friends. Here the word of mouth strategy works.
All Zara customers say almost all of their products are of reasonable quality at modest prices. What I read from some publications, the information is all Zara products designed to resemble the creation of fashion house upscale.
Zara tracks trends among customer bases around the world very carefully and responds with tremendous speed and accuracy. Every employee is encouraged to ask customers what they want and record their responses. Amazingly, the tastes of its customers turned out to have a good resemblance in Tokyo, Manhattan, and Istanbul.
Zara Products are selling well due to Limited
The designer Zara only makes multiple copies of each item. Not all the design touches of clothing that his customers see in other brands imitated, because after all not a touch of design famous designers can be interested in customers.
It is therefore not surprising that each product line sells quickly as new products arrive at the store. In essence, when a savvy customer sees an interesting item in Zara, he knows that the item will not be long and the price will not be lower elsewhere.
Each product is "limited edition." In this way, Zara seems to lead her customers into impulsive purchases. This is a brilliant strategy.
With over 5000 stores in 77 countries located near other high-end stores, Zara's store sign at its retail outlet promotes the Zara brand. Its brand experts make sure to decorate each branch so well that the name Zara will not be associated with a lower-class aesthetic.
His strategist also advised Zara to buy a building near an upscale boutique so buyers could see Zara's cheaper products when people were exploring the Gucci store.
Some say the Zara brand cannot survive because it will not be able to maintain its affordability in the face of rising production costs. But I doubt that. You probably do not know it after flipping through Vogue or WWD, Zara currently dominates the fashion world. Do not believe? Just come to the outlet at Pondok Indah Mall 2 South Jakarta.