people.
The second pillar we’re focusing on is people, how everyone affects the fashion industry and how they influence brands. People are the biggest influence on brands, how companies choose to advertise, what products they sell and how they are used.
Generation Z plays a huge role in how brands communicate their products to consumers – its important to understand this generation to succeed as a brand. Gen Z are commonly referred to as the first ‘real digital natives’, as of (McKinsey, 2023), we grew up with technology and use it commonly in our everyday lives. This differs to previous generations where technology was first uprising and evolving into what is it today. As seen in the image overview below, each generation has different aspirations from growing up in different ways, throughout the years brands have had to adapt and innovate through these changes to stay up to date with their consumers to keep and capture their attention.
Figure 1: (FourHooks, 2015)
With new growing social media platforms like Tik Tok, where new content is pushed towards you with every scroll, the difference in the algorithm has shortened attention spans and its harder than ever to gain consumers attention’s (Jargon, J, 2022). Brands have opted to shorter, flashy advertisements to cater towards the new generation, staying loyal to the values that they share as it’s what these consumers look for in a brand. These values state that Gen Z prioritise access to consumption rather than possessing, expressing their individual identity, and acknowledging ethical concerns (Francis and Hoefel, 2018). Brand must harbour these values to really attract this generation, failure to do so will cause disinterest and dismissal.
Within the cosmetics industry, specifically makeup, diversity has always been a topic of issue. A brand that is famous for its inclusivity is Fenty Beauty, owned by Rhianna, first launching forty different foundation shades when first released, then expanding their range to fifty. The launch of Fenty Beauty changed the industry and set the standards for other makeup companies to follow, having an inclusive shade range makes the product accessible for any person to use and to be included with something that everyone else enjoys.
Figure 2: (Fenty Beauty, 2017)
Its important to have a wide range of skills to be successful at a fashion brand, being creative and innovative are crucial. Watching trends and other brands in the industry means that you can stay on top of what your competition are up to, looking at what they’re doing means you have the chance to innovate a future product. These opportunities can equal success if chosen correctly as bringing something new to the table while corresponding to the true values of your company can be truly captivating to a consumer.
McKinsey (2023). What is Gen Z? | McKinsey. [online] www.mckinsey.com. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z.
FourHooks (2015). The Generation Guide – Millennials, Gen X, Y, Z and Baby Boomers. [online] FourHooks. Available at: http://fourhooks.com/marketing/the-generation-guide-millennials-gen-x-y-z-and-baby-boomers-art5910718593/.
Jargon, J., 2022. TikTok Brain Explained: Why Some Kids Seem Hooked on Social Video Feeds. WSJ. URL: https://www. Wsj. com/articles/tiktok-brain-explained-why-some-kids-seem-hooked-on-social-video-feeds-11648866192 (accessed 6.6. 22).
Francis, T. and Hoefel, F. (2018). ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and Its Implications for Companies. [online] McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies.
Fenty beauty (2017). Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation 32ml. Available at: https://fentybeauty.com/collections/makeup-foundation?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=17606847319&utm_adgroup=142714209594&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm66pBhDQARIsALIR2zBfATzWws5CohkQ1Z9aR8uqAOzYcFXwLteY_ouXC8aBcSiZv7cPon8aAmgkEALw_wcB.