CREATING A FASHION BRAND IDENTITY

It has become arguably relevant to truly understand your brand before creating a brand identity. As the fashion market place grows bigger, it’s becoming harder to set your brand apart and remain memorable to buyers, stylists, editors and customers. 

Creating a fashion brand identity will help you plan your way through to the top of your game and make you stand out from your competitors.  African prints are in vogue; almost everyone is using prints to design. The question is how different is yours from the others? Why will someone choose your product above any other? In order to achieve this, you need to start working on creating a brand identity for your business. The following points could be helpful.

Create a New Category

First, take the initiative to do something new. Many a times, people are too afraid to start something new. The thought of it failing, being rejected or ignored stifles their thoughts to get that new idea pumped out. Successful entrepreneurs take risk. The best way to creating a fashion brand identity is to create a new category. Bring out a new idea. This means research. Do your homework well to know what your competitors are doing and what they are not doing and what your target market needs and design products that will fit in.

Understand your Brand Image

Creating a fashion brand identity requires that you understand the kind of image or reputation you want for your brand. This way you are assured of creating the right impression on the minds of people who come into contact with you and your brand. Knowing what you put out there helps you to control your brand and how to best reach your target market.

Build Relationships

People wear brands and are constantly telling others about the brands they love. If your product can deliver to their satisfaction, they are more likely to be associated with you and your brand. Use this to build and maintain healthy relationships with key players in the industry. Relationships are built on trust. Ensure people are satisfied with your dresses, shoes, makeup products, designs etc. Put in place feedback mechanisms to obtain the right responses needed to keep your customers coming back.

Be Consistent in your Overall Communication

Communicating to both internal and external audience is key in creating a brand identity. What is more crucial is ensuring that your messages are consistent on all the media platforms being used. Carefully explain your brand values, brand image and message to stakeholders and make sure they understand where and how to apply it. Photos and images communicate a lot about your brand persona thus the need to match that with consumer expectations.

A brand identity sets you apart from a million others

  
Faith Senam Ocloo
CEO

E’April Public Relations

Follow me on twitter @eaprilPR and @faithsenam

Image Credit: Monica Almelda/New York Times

Meet Ghanaian Fashion Publicist Faith Ocloo

Meet Ghanaian Fashion Publicist Faith Ocloo

Fashion Icons Awards this weekend

Its on this weekend for the first ever Fashion Icons Awards. The event will take place at the plush La Palm Beach Hotel, Accra on the 6th of September, 2014. It will kick start with a Red Carpet at exactly 6pm.

The night promises to be exciting with a blend of fashion and music from the fast rising star Wiyaala Noella, the Afro Soul/Pop singer Irene Logan, Sala, Chemphe Among others.

The event will be hosted by the delectable ChrisKata and Mercury Quaye with Selly Galley on the Red Carpet.

If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, go grab it now for a cool ghc 50 at Woodin Store, Osu; Movempick Ambassador Hotel; A&C Mall, East Legon and Silverbird, Accra Mall.

Its barely 4 days to this big event and I still havent decided on what am going to wear. Any suggestions and assistance?

5 Questions you should answer before considering a Brand Ambassador for your fashion Brand

The African fashion market is growing spontaneously and everyone is striving to gain consumer attention and retention. One of the many ways fashion business owners are working hard to create awareness and gain trust about their product is to get celebrities or brand ambassadors to wear or endorse their product.

Brand ambassadors play a very vital role in the positioning of a brands Image. They become the face of the brand and most times use their personalities to promote the brand. Partnerships between a product and brand ambassadors are meant to increase awareness and generate consumer appeal and trust. In other cases it could go terribly wrong and affect the product’s revenue. Whether you are opting for a celebrity brand ambassador or brand advocate, consider the following when deciding on choosing a brand ambassador for your product.

1.     Is the person credible?

When considering a brand ambassador for your product, it is imperative to do a thorough research on the personality and know who they are, what they do, what they represent and their values. Review their history and past affiliations with other brands. Be sure the person has a good track record that will make consumers trust him or her and which will certainly be translated onto your product. Consider someone who is trust worthy and can represent your brand at all times.

2.     Is the person media friendly?

Brand ambassadors must be media-friendly and relate to all persons across board. They must be able to answer questions about your product and speak confidently and directly about your brand to the media and also help you in achieving your entire communication goal. Again, they should be able to properly deliver your message to the right target market. Being in a new media era, I will also add that the person must be tech-savvy thus being able to interact with brand users on social media platforms.

3.     Can the person appeal to your target?

Different personalities appeal to different target markets. Your research should reveal to you the kind of personality that will appeal to your target consumers. Once consumers can identify themselves with a specific brand ambassador, they are most likely to go in for such products. Many a times, buying decisions are influenced by the desire to look or feel the exact way as the brand ambassador. The whole idea is to gain the confidence of prospective customers and also retain the loyalty of the existing ones.

4.     Is the person a reflection of your brand?

Evidently, brand ambassadors are supposed to represent your product on diverse platforms therefore they ought to share the same values as you do. They should be using the brand or likely to use it. Portraying a contrasting representation could affect the entire integrated communication process of your brand. You are your brand, so is your brand ambassador.

5.     Does the person have the tendency to drive sales?

The ultimate goal of every integrated marketing communications campaign is to drive sales. The celebrity or personality to be endorsed must have the tendency to drive people to make purchase. Their affiliation to your brand should get consumers engaged and create sales opportunities for your product.

Photocredit: heartifb.com

Faith Senam Ocloo

CEO

E’April Public Relations

Follow me on twitter @eaprilPR and @faithsenam

 

New Client Announcement: House of Paon

E'April Public Relations is pleased to announce that , a Ghanaian rising fashion brand has joined its client list. 

House of Paon is a luxury brand designed by Collins Obeng-Marnu. The Collection offers a range of high fashion meeting everyday wear and gowns which exemplifies timeless edge and modernity.

House of Paon first collection was showcased at the KNUST Fashion Week 2014.

 

Facebook:  House of Paon

Instagram:  House of Paon

Facebook:  E'April PR

Faith Senam Ocloo

CEO

E’April Public Relations

Follow me on twitter @eaprilPR and @faithsenam

WORKSHOP FOR FASHION STUDENTS

Some Speakers at the workshop

Over the weekend, a workshop was organized for the Fashion Students at Abbi Creation Fashion College, Nungua-Accra by I2I Concept. Various topics relating to the fashion industry were discussed.

“TAPPING KNOWLEDGE 101" aims to train those in the Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, Arts Industry on Fashion Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding, Social Media Management and Branding, Micro insurance, Financial Management, Fashion PR &Communication.

Overall, it was an educative and insightful workshop. Make sure you don't miss the next opportunity to learn how to build and grow your fashion business.

Mrs. Abigail Kyere - Principal of Abbi Creation Fashion College

Bashiru Olu Wasiu-Ayinde- Blogger of Fashionmaniagh

Faith Senam Ocloo - CEO of E'April Public Relations

Zakiyu Iddris Tandunayir - CEO of ZIT Social Media

A cross section of participants

Building your Beauty Business Using PR

Whether you are a beauty expert, a makeup artist, own a skin care line, run a spa or salon, your job is to make people look and feel good. While at it, you need to put in place measures that will improve your services and build your business. Define what you do by exploring the importance of looking and feeling beautiful. Develop a Public Relations campaign that will drive your business strategy and move your brand to the next level. The following PR tips will be useful in attaining such feat.

1. Create your unique story

Once you have carefully defined what you do, you need to create a story that presents all that in a simple, catchy and attractive way. A story that is compelling and interesting and that people can identify with. One that clearly states how different and unique your product or service is. It should be accompanied with good and captivating visuals. Using “Before” and “After” photos are the best tools use to demonstrate what you do and how well you do it.

2. Identify the right media channel

Mostly for startups or when launching a beauty related PR campaign, it is advisable to start with your local media. Firstly, identify which media outlets show contents targeted at your market. Begin to tell your story using various forms such as press releases, speaking engagements, interviews etc. Branch out to national media at a considerable pace that you can handle and then start to target print publications such as newspapers and magazines as you continue to expand and build your brand. It increases your visibility and strengthens your reputation as an expert.

3. Utilize your media coverage on Social Media

As you begin to land print coverage in newspapers and magazines and on online portals, utilize them on social media. Generate media and public interests on these coverage by developing a Social Media Strategy that will engage your fans and followers.  Maximize your efforts by creating consistent contents on your social media platforms and blogs.

 

4. Review and build your services

Many a times businesses tend to forget that as media coverage expand, calls for their product and services are most likely to shoot up. It is important to put in the requisite resources to make up for the demand. Review your support systems to make way for expansion which will cater for all the calls.

5. Capitalize results of media coverage

Ideally, launch a PR campaign that will offer steady growth so you are able to process all the calls that comes with using PR to build your beauty business. Understand that public relations effort is a gradual, on-going and cumulative process hence the need to make a commitment to stick with it in order to obtain maximum brand growth.

Hiring a Public Relations Agency to drive and manage your communication needs is the best for your beauty business. However, the above mentioned points could be helpful to launch your won PR campaign if you can’t afford one now.

Faith Senam Ocloo

CEO

E’April Public Relations

Follow me on twitter @eaprilPR and @faithsenam

Photo source: Ghana Hotels