ommunicating with their
Audiences
M&S and Topshop both have two different demographics. This impacts on the strategies they use to communicate with their audience. This is because of the lifestyles of the two are so different therefore have different means of seeing advertising campaigns.
A brand needs to communicate with their audience if they want to be successful. Behind each advertisement campaign is an intended purpose, whether it be to communicate a store opening or encourage sales by showing the products. The means of communication with the target audience of a brand is successful once they identify products the demographic use, on a regular basis, and use this for their advertisement. For example younger generation’s use social media every day, therefore brands like Topshop are having to expand their marketing to create profiles on all social media platforms. M & S has an older target market therefore won’t need to invest into social media, as things like Twitter are a complete mystery to the generation. However, some have really taken to Facebook as a way of connecting with their lost friends or distant relatives. They are now discovering being able to connect with brands online therefore M&S have conducted a giveaway of this festive period to try and incise the generation, building their audience online.
Another way M&S connect with their audience is through TV Marketing. By making adverts broadcast on Daytime TV such as Good Morning, it directly markets this generation as younger audiences are vacant from the TV, as they are at work or school. Simple advertising which shows the garment to a high degree have proven more successful over the flashy, eccentric ones made for Topshop. This is because younger generations want to get excited by garments and feel the buzz of the fast paced industry that is fashion. M&S’ new collections will have a longer time period before the following collections are released, however Topshop is constantly bringing in more lines, because younger audiences want quantity over quality.
A real push in Topshop this year has been online shopping. Their website is huge and ever increasing with the new lines added each day. They know their target market live busy lifestyles and don’t have time to visit in store. By providing this channel, the brand is receiving sales at all times of the day, the most popular being when high street stores are closed. Topshop have an exceptional understanding of the younger demographic hence why the brand is so profitable. They know that this younger audience want the new technology and want to experience something new. This is completely different to the older generation as they want tradition. They don’t want to be learning new things as it is perceived as very confusing for them. Therefore why M&S haven’t got such an intricate website, as online shopping is still a new thing for them. The demographic don’t see the need for an online website as they are able to visit instore and many not trusting sites with their bank details. In contrast to this brands connecting with the older demographic often bring out catalogues for mail orders. This is more traditional than online shopping and is simplistic for the age range to understand. This is profitable for companies as when the consumer gets bored they will look through the catalogue and make impulse buys – the same mind-set younger audiences have when on a brands social media.
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