What's a campaign?

Much like a presidential campaign (Obama raised and spent $650 million on his race for the White House in 2008), retailers regularly launch marketing assaults on the high street in the form of campaigns. The aims of a campaign are:

1.       To increase brand awareness

2.       To drive footfall (this literally means increasing the number of feet entering the shop)

3.       To make money

On your travels one week you may notice a lot of advertising from a certain brand – on the sides of buses, on bus shelters, in magazines, on TV. The brand has launched a campaign. H&M is well known for this comprehensive marketing strategy (remember Jerry Hall trussed up in Christmas wear at the end of 2011?) and it always works (Versace and H&M launched their cruise collaboration on19th January online and it has mostly sold out.) With such public advertising, people who weren’t previously aware of the brand now become potential shoppers. Enticed by the clothes they have seen in the adverts, they enter the shop (increasing footfall) and then (fingers crossed) spend money.

As always, one size doesn’t fit all and the high street has its own renegades - other brands, such as Whistles, never advertise. You never see a billboard with their clothes, an advert in a fashion mag or a 30second snippet in the ad break of Corrie. This marketing is simply letting the clothes speak for themselves. And that works just as well.

Til next time…x