Burberry in Society

In past and recent years, Burberry has continuously initiated business with ethic- and moral-based decisions and has yet to stray away from the brands values. The company, though, has faced some ups and downs in society and the media, affecting the luxury brand image and the way the company handles marketing, product placement, sales, and other aspects of Burberry's development.

The First "Tweetwalk"



Tweeted Septermber 19, 2011,
hours before the show


The most recent venture that has positively affected the Burberry image and inevitably boosted sales and brand awareness is their partnering with Twitter. The luxury brand collaborated with the social networking craze, Twitter, to launch what the companies are calling the first-ever Tweetwalk. That’s right, a “tweetwalk”! Oh, the incredible things people concoct using technology these days… Nevertheless, this project allowed the retailer’s Twitter followers to view backstage pictures of every runway look live from London’s fashion show before the models hit the runway. According to the general manager of Twitter UK, Tony Wang, “Burberry was one of the first brands to truly understand Twitter’s ability to connect people all over the world with what’s most meaningful to them.” He also added, “Thanks to their creativity, fashion lovers were able to see the new Burberry collection even before those in the front row.” As an avid “tweeter”, I found this social networking endeavor to be a great marketing tool for the brand and believe it can do nothing but positive things for Burberry in the future.

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The finale and Christopher Bailey
before they hit the runway

Additionally, Twitter followers were able to view the entire runway show via live stream. All consumers, celebrities, fans, and loyal customers of the brand alike are only getting closer to fashion show action and the latest trends thanks to social networking outlets. I believe the Burberry team should and probably will continue on with these inovative projects in order to relate to their target consumer market and positively boost brand awareness.





Burberry vs. the Chavs

The photo heard 'round the world:
When former British soap star
Dannielle Westbrook stepped out
with her daughter, both splashed head-to-
toe in Burberry, the tabloids
attacked the brand.

While searching through research topics and headlines, I ran across several articles about the “chav” and its effects on the Burberry name. Completely oblivious to what a “chav” is or was, I explored the subject and found that Burberry became negatively connected to this stereotype years ago, and society began to look down upon the once luxury brand and its wearers. To begin with, "chav" is the name given to certain groups of aggressive and arrogant teenagers and young adults in the UK. This stereotype can be compared to skinheads or punks of other generations and time periods. Chavs tend to engage in anti-social behavior such as street drinking, drug abuse and rowdiness, and other forms of juvenile delinquency. Burberry has argued that the brand's popular association with "chav" fashion is linked to counterfeit versions of the clothing. The company has taken a number of steps to distance itself from the stereotype. The brand ceased production of its own branded baseball cap in 2004, a popular accessory for chavs, and has scaled back the use of its trademarked checkered/tartan design, in which chavs decked out in head-to-toe. Buberry has also taken legal action against high-profile infringements of the brand.




http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/09/20/burberry-walks-its-twitter-followers-down-runway