In terms of digital media, 2009 can be considered a breakthrough year for companies in the fashion industry.
According to a study by eMarketer, the use of digital media in 2004-2008 more than doubled, showing the highest growth rates among baby boomers. And according to a study conducted by Forrester Research, luxury fashion consumers are the most active. In spite of an unprecedented economic crisis, consumers have shown an unexpected devotion to online purchases, thus forcing companies to embrace the internet with a new strategic seriousness. It is not a field for those who are still struggling to understand how the internet has changed fashion communication; fashion communication has already changed and companies must urgently adapt. The most effective media of the year was social media sites for sharing and networking among users. Brands like Alexander McQueen and Chanel have used YouTube to show to all their fashion shows, integrating them in some cases to advertising campaigns (search "Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2010 Womenswear Full Show" or "Chanel Cruise 2009/10 Fashion Show Part 1 and 2" on YouTube to get an idea).
And this is only the beginning, new formats are emerging that include fashion, film and music, a combination capable of offering unique emotions. We have already heard about short films on fashion, which are able to hit the consumers' sophisticated and very sensitive taste. All this is with record-breaking marketing numbers (according to ABI Research, by 2012 the number of broadband video consumers will surpass 1 billion). An entire generation of young fashion purchasers expect content that is of quality, immediate, dynamic and interactive. The glossy pages of magazines does not make them dream anymore because the new consumer is no longer passive, as in the past. Their attention is elsewhere. And brand managers can no longer act by focusing only on images or on old media. The new consumers want to participate. They want to take part in the action. They want to be behind the scenes of a fashion show and yet be in the front row, they want to ask the designers and models questions, they want to live the fashion process from the inside. They want to feel privileged. No longer content to just buy the finished product, they want access to exclusive information and the creative processes of the fashion industry. They are less interested in traditional status symbols and more interested in new experiences. Fashion houses can no longer ignore this issue. They should give them a voice, encourage them to meet, discuss and contribute.
Today, the intentions and actions of a brand make up its value more than the product itself.

Paola Vee