Fashion and Brand Awareness: An Evidence-Based Approach to the Analysis of Distinctive Elements in Communication

Brand identity is a key topic in fashion design and communication. It relies on several tangible and intangible elements, such as recognisability of trademarks and styles, of materials and processing details, on storytelling, values, testimonials, company history and so on. The evolution of communication strategies in the digital era, and of globalised markets, demands rational, evidence-based management of the public image of brands. This article offers a theoretical discussion of the structural elements which play a part in establishing the public identity of fashion brands in the era of digital communication, and an innovative approach to the evidence-based investigation of the identity of a number of fashion brands as perceived by customers. The approach proposed here is based on a mix of interviews exploring subjective brand awareness, and objective monitoring of visual attention through eye-tracking. The article also summarises findings obtained by applying this approach to several subjects exposed to communication artefacts produced by fashion brands in order to obtain some information of general interest regarding the factors that influence customers’ mental models.