Diversity in the Advertising and Marketing of Fashion Industries

Thus far, fashion brands have already made great efforts when it came to the diversity of their advertisement and marketing campaigns, yet we still have a long way to go. In the last couple of years fashion has been dominated by models who were either white or extremely skinny, or both. Individuals who defied social norms were overlooked and rejected by brands. Only one body type was popular, there was little to no diversity at all in ads. Consequently, many people found it difficult to relate to the industry given that there was no representation. Fortunately, the fashion industry has evolved tremendously in recent years, and we have luckily seen a celebration of various people and sizes.

In the first chapter of this thesis, the word ´diversity´ is defined along with the importance of it for both brand and customer. Throughout the second chapter, the major changes and the key players in these changes are presented. The third chapter shows which brands that the research focus lies on, i.e., Fenty, Dolce and Gabbana, and Victoria’s Secret. The next chapter concentrates on the changes in revenues of the three brands and the fifth chapter is about the effects of the perception of each given brand.

The aim of this research was to find out if companies with diversity in their ads and marketing campaigns see a positive change in their sales and brand perception.

Brands are becoming more aware that their focus on consumers of all colours, shapes, and sizes is important and that the use of diversity in advertisements can bring advantages to both company and consumer. The outcome is that diversity indeed has a positive impact on both revenue and perception based on the given data and examples.

The most important point is that when customers feel represented, they will be more eager to purchase a product as well as create a strong positive image of the brand.

For this outcome, already performed research and databanks were consulted. Additionally, there was an examination of companies who had not included diversity before but do so now and what impact this has had on their revenue and brand perception. Based on the findings in this research, implementing diversity in advertisements and marketing campaigns is highly recommended.