“TOPSHOP is delighted
to announce it has won the Lorraine High Street Fashion Award for Best
Trendsetter for the 2nd year running. The award which is voted for
by the daily ITV1 show’s viewers cements TOPSHOP's presence as the high street
leader.”
It is clear that
Topshop is the leader of the high street, but why? What exactly are they doing
right?
In my opinion it all
leads back to brand clarity! A trait that Topshop has adapted and successfully understood.
They know their consumer and provide for them at all times. They are well aware
that the majority of their buyers are between the age of 16-30 but also older
women, providing sophisticated office clothing. Not only do their clothes successfully
reflect the consumer but so do their carefully picked staff. Most (maybe even
all) Topshop staff are confident in their style and fashion picks, providing
inspiration for the buyer in store and someone the customer can relate to as
they are within the same age bracket.
Brand clarity
provides the consumer with a story to believe in, a brand to trust and most
importantly it creates a loyal relationship between the buyer and the brand. However,
in this digital age, having successful online activity is as important as
having brand clarity. Topshop’s Pinterest is great, providing their “fashionable consumers”
with inspiration, an insight on their future collections but also a chance to
get involved with their street style. A technique that is required if a brand
wishes to involve the buyer and make them feel part of a team or a community,
assuring that these customers will buy and advertise the next collection. This
idea of a community is also reflected in their Facebook page as they tell the
reader that they “cant wait for [them] to join in the style conversations”.
YouTubers and
Bloggers are the kings and queens of the digital age, Topshop has shown extreme
awareness to that as they work with “Zoella”, “SunBeamsJess”, “PrettySickly”
and many others. Celebrity endorsement is all good but having Bloggers gives
the consumer a more relatable advertisement. These people aren’t as distant as
Ellie Goulding or Alexa Chung who yes, do provide a strong advertisement but in
my opinion, not as strong as Bloggers. All
this online activity has paid off, as Topshop now has the fastest-growing
social media page of any other brand worldwide.
Topshop know that
they are the leaders and use that to get the best collaborations possible. My
personal favorite was their Adidas collaboration last summer. What a better way
to follow the high end trend of sportswear than to work with one of the most successful
sportwear brands worldwide and let them do the job for you?! The same with
their ongoing collaboration with Cara Delavigne and Kate Moss, just by looking
at their names, it automatically creates connotations of high end fashion,
great style and iconic women; sugar coating their clothes.
Topshop does not only provide great affordable fashion but is also
aware of the social platforms consumers use and the traits they seek for in a
brand. They are doing everything they should in terms of advertisement and communication
with the audience, and that is successfully portrayed in their millions of
followers and celebrity endorsements. NEWGEN
has proven to be a great way of always releasing seasonal collections, keeping
is new and fresh, exactly what fashion conscious consumers want.
