Quick and Easy Illustrations by Mai Manaloto
www.instagram.com/MaryAnnClothingMoving away from a niche market to a much bigger customer base that may not know a thing or two on how garments are manufactured. The youth is an important target market for a fashion brand's longevity. The reality of tapping a niche is that a company will never be able to sell as many garments as they want by targeting only that particular segment of society. If a brand wants to sell more it has to dive into a generation and thus, youth and sex.
For a brand to survive the saturated marketplace of fashion goods and services, it must be able to grow with its existing customer base while simultaneously attracting a younger audience that will embrace the brand over time. Even though the youth may lack the financial means to purchase a company's product, they will eventually grow. And it is best for them to grow with an aspiration of eventually buying into a brand - building brand affinity.
One of the fastest ways to attract the youth generation is by marketing products that have insinuations towards theme of sex. Sex is an essential human function not only for procreation but it also infiltrates so many parts of our lives. One reason why any allusion to sex in public places becomes so sensational is because the act largely happens behind closed doors. The millennial generation is an image soaked in youth and sex, one that projects an air of almost reckless decadence. Sexy advertisement gets a lot of attention and young people simply like sexy clothing. It may be argued that some ads intended for the youth border the line of soft pornography, but it can be more than just titillation.
In recent times, fashion has pushed the boundaries of taste and evolved to becoming more tolerant with the concept of sex as a marketing tool. Perhaps what we see in ads isn’t merely the imagery of sex, but actually a form of honesty - and young people like honesty. Perhaps it depicts the truth of how humans have a natural desire to be attractive either for the purpose of finding a mate or negating one's insecurities.
More so, even if an individual already has a mate it does not mean that the inclination to be desired by others disappears. The bottom line is that we all have a desire to appear appealing to others and a large part of this comes from how we visually present ourselves. Therefore, this desire to appear attractive comes with the notion of wanting to portray ourselves as sexual beings – and this is where the fashion industry enters the picture and of why sex sells. Read more about Clothing Drive: Fashion Fueled by Desire.
Sex is used as a valuable selling tool and a lot of people buy into it, especially the younger generation. However, sensationalism in clothing ads may boost engagement and brand profile but it does not always translate into sales. Quality garments accompanied by good branding is still the most important tactic for sales. Apparels with such features sell themselves without using sex. Moreover, in the realm of fashion, amazing high quality and designed products, coupled with sex, sells exceptionally. But note that there is a fine line between sexy and crude. For sex to sell it must be used in a way where it is perceived as alluring, elegant and eloquent. Nothing sordid or alluding to anything perverse.
The reality of the market place is that when a fashion brand produces a sexy campaign, it gets a lot of coverage, captures the public imagination and results throngs of shoppers purchasing the latest product. The honest truth is that people buy into sex. However, as we push the boundaries of sex more towards the lime light, it will eventually lose its novelty. And with this, the fashion business will move in towards the opposite direction. Read more about Changing Fashion: Building an Erotic Capital.
Source: From R. Walker (2008), Buying In (New York: Random House), 217-26.
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