Cultural Impact on Fashion Branding

Introduction

Culture plays important roles in influencing the overall process of decision making, marketing approaches, product development process and business strategies of contemporary fashion brands. Due to ever-changing culture and social values in modern community, fashion brands have to deal with changing customer-perception as well as the changing buying behaviour of the consumers. Here the report will discuss how international culture influences the overall business operation of G-Star RAW, the famous Dutch cloth designer company that designs and sells fashion clothes for men, kids and women. It is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherland. This company runs international business by operating flagship stores in different countries across the globes such as India, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and China. For operating international business, marketers of G-Star RAW, always consider as well as prioritise changing cultural trend in the contemporary fashion industry that influences overall buying behaviour and customers perception in international market. This report will discuss that how G-Star RAW will deal with changing cultural context in contemporary fashion industry to operate successful international business operation. The report will also demonstrate how this company will make relevant modernisation as well as modification in its internal environment and marketing strategies to deal with different culture in fashion industry and different social climate.

1.2 Definition of culture and its importance on marketing and business framework:

Culture can be defined as the social behaviour and norms in human society that impact on ideas, thoughts, perception and decision making of people (Beugelsdijk et al. 2017). In international marketing context, culture plays important roles in setting the definite buying behaviour and perception of customers. G-Star RAW is highly famous fashion brand that operates its business globally. In this context, marketers of this brand believe in considering the overall culture of different countries while setting proper marketing and selling strategies (www.g-star.com, 2020). For example, G-Star RAW has its stores in different countries of India, in which there is traditional and ethnic culture in society, which makes it's obligatory for marketers to make proper modification in manufacturing and product development strategy to meet customers expectation in India. Culture two different countries are completely different based on the beliefs, ideas, thoughts and perception of its citizens. G-Star RAW although have considered the individual culture of different countries while setting marketing strategies to operate in these markets, the marketers of this company recently faces huge difficulties due to the unpredictable changes in culture of contemporary fashion industry. Due to changes in the overall customer buying behaviour and customer perception, marketers of G-Star RAW need to think before implementing existing marketing strategies. In this context Breazeale. And Hustedde, (2017) mentioned that marketers on an international organisation need to consider the current cultural trend in fashion industry that will assist them to set such marketing policies ad product development and designing process that will meet current fashion demand of customer in international market.

1.3 How G-Star RAW can relate the cultural values of its marketing activities as well as target audience:

Although currently G-Star RAW faces huge difficulties in coping with ever-changing cultural trend in international market, marketers believe that their recent move towards developing proper market research on analysing the current cultural trend in society will assist this company to set highly relevant as well as useful marketing strategies (www.g-star.com, 2020). While it comes to run successful marketing operation and selecting appropriate target market, marketers of any company need to consider the overall cultural trend in that industry in which company operates (Gaganis et al. 2019). For example, marketers of G-Star RAW need to make proper research on its target market belief setting any marketing strategies. Through conducting research on the target market marketers would be able to understand what is the current cultural trend in contemporarily fashion industry for that particular target group. For example, current fashion trend UK for male, female and kids are different. Marketers of G-Star RAW needs to conduct the current customer perception, behaviour, preferences and buying attitude of the selected target customers in definite contrary, which will assist the marketers to understand what changes as well as modification they will make in their marketing strategies to grab high level of profit.

1.4 Consideration of culture while selling and manufacturing product:

As mentioned by Hechavarria et al. (2017), marketers need to consider the cultural context while operating in international market in terms of selling and manufacturing the right products and services that can meet the current market demand. G-Star RAW is involved in designing and selling Dutch clothes for both men and women. Now the changes in et cultural trend in contemporary fashion industry, makes the marketers of this company make proper modification in selling, designing and manufacturing process. The designers of this company focus on analysing the impact on current cultural shift on the overall customer buying behaviour and customer perception. On the contrary Hock et al. (2016), if marketers want to make relevant selling as well as manufacturing strategies in terms of grabbing string position in the international market, they need to not only focus on analysing impact on current culture on the customer perception but also they need to understand the possible risk associated with the changing cultural trend in society such as developing rivalries, changing focus of customers towards substitute goods and services and lack of customer interest on the product and services of the company. In this context, G-Star RAW needs to standardise and modernise the overall designing, manufacturing and selling process in such a manner that will assist this company to consider all the cultural contexts such as customer perception, current buying behaviour and current customer preference while marketing their product.

1.5 Macro and micro environmental analysis of G-Star RAW:

Through conducting micro and macro analysis marketers of G-Star RAW can analyse the impact of the current cultural trend on the contemporary fashion industry in international market context. The microanalysis will assist marketers of G-Star RAW to analyse internal organisational culture such as the strength and weakness of this company. On the other hand, through consulting macro-analysis marketers of this company will be able to deal with the impact of international cultural trend on overall business decision and marketing aspect of G-Star RAW. Following SWOT and PESTEL analysis will be useful for marketers of G-Star RAW to understand that how international cultural trend impact on their business operation and what strategies they can use to implement these cultural aspects in their product development and marketing process to meet current customer demand.

1.5.1 Micro environment analysis of G-Star RAW: (SWOT analysis)

Analysis:

From analysis of above-mentioned tables, it can be stated that G-Star RAW, although has several threats ab limitation in its international environment, there is huge scope for this company to combat the adverse impact of cultural changes in the contemporary fashion industry. As mentioned by Marouf (2016), the socio-cultural changes pose both positive and negative impact on overall business operation operating these countries. For G-Star RAW, the marketers need to consider the socio-cultural trend in international market while operating its business in new market. From analysing above table, it can be stated that marketer of G-Star RAW need to consider the current cultural tend on the market in which it operates the business while coming up with new and innovative strategies. In addition to this, it needs to consider the impact of cultural changes on overall governmental rules and regulations that can be applied to the fashion industry. In addition to this, the marketers need to focus on improving the overall product quality and design by analysing customer behaviour, their current fashion needs, recent fashion trend and cultural shift in case of the target population.

1.5.2 Macro environment analysis of G-Star RAW: (PESTEL analysis)

1.6 Conclusion:

From the above-mentioned discussion, it can be concluded that, cultural plays important roles in setting behaviour, values, thoughts and perception of society people, therefore, international marketer’s need to consider cultural changes in current market trend while setting any marketing strategies and business operation strategies. Additionally, marketers need to analyse the possible risk while considering cultural changes during operating international operations. In this context, macro and micro environmental analysis can assist marketers of any company to understand the current business situation of this a company and how cultural changes in international market can influence overall business decision and marketing processes of the company.

1.7 Recommendation:

From analysing the above-mentioned discussion, following strategies can be recommended for marketers of G-Star RAW to deal with impact on cultural changes in international market context:

Marketers should focus on developing highly skilled HR team that can hire highly talented young candidate from foreign market who have string knowledge on the current market trend.

G-Star RAW should modernise and improve overall customers feedback process, in which marketers can directly interact with customer in the international to understand their preference and buying perception

Markets of G-Star RAW should conduct highly relevant market research that will assist the company to understand the changing cultural shift in international fashion market, which will assist the company to make relevant modification in its marketing policies and manufacturing process that will meet customer demand.

Reference list:

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Breazeale, N.D. and Hustedde, R.J., 2017. Understanding the impact of culture in entrepreneurship. Toward entrepreneurial community development: Leaping cultural and leadership boundaries, pp.104-125.

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