Brand Communications & Public Relations
Essay by Weronika Sidorowicz
Introduction
AllSaints: a fashion retailer that made its name through high quality garments with elements of vintage inspiration combined with the modernisation of rock-nroll, alternative music culture. Their customer can be spotted in alternative bars, or attending gigs, rocking a leather jacket with a pair of combat boots - they follow trends, whilst staying true to themselves. The brand was born in 1994, as the brain child of Knit Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor; it was named after All Saints Road in Notting Hill, due to its popularity associated with music and arts - something which is at the core of AllSaints brand image. Within this essay I will be exploring the ways in which this brand communicates with their consumer.
Millennials being their top consumer, AllSaints communicate with their audience mainly through Instagram and Facebook, which are appropriate platforms for their customers' age bracket. Their content includes IGTV videos; visual posts; stories, as well as livestreams. In addition, their page holds a 'Shop' feature, which allows followers to buy products they see in AllSaints' photos; this is an effective way of communicating as Gen Y consumers are 43% more likely to purchase products from their smartphones than the rest of the population, (Salesfloor, 2021) and Instagram provides the omnichannel accessibility demanded by the majority of modern consumers. Considering that Gen Y shop both online and offline regardless of lockdown lifting, retailers should prioritize enhancing shopping experiences by appealing to their affinity for technology and perspective on shopping as a social enterprise, which is something that AllSaints is actively participating in and improving.
Instagram: 858k followers Twitter: 83.2k followers Facebook: 1M likes
Another aspect of communication I wanted to discuss was activism. In the current climate, vocalising on current issues is important and vastly encouraged by the growing consumer population of Gen Z and Gen Y. On their Instagram page, AllSaints regularly changes their bio in accordance with current world affairs; for instance, when the US presidential election was taking place in late 2020, their bio was "wearing masks and voting", and has now changed to a short motto about vaccinations. This is important to note as it shows that the brand is staying upto-date with the evolving world, and not staying stuck in the 'out of touch', traditional way of hard-selling a mere product, as opposed to a lifestyle. Not only is AllSaints vocal on important subjects, they also support the causes through monetary donations. They have a ten-year commitment with charity, Not For Sale - a non-profit organisation that fights against trafficking and exploitation in Thailand. Whilst helping provide good futures to underprivileged communities, this is also good in terms of consumer communications as it shows the brand cares; millennials enjoy supporting causes and 50% are more likely to buy from a brand that supports a cause. (Sagin, 2020)
To conclude, I believe AllSaints holds a good personal approach to communicating with their customers via several different channels. Their content holds meaning that connects with their main consumer bracket, and adapts well to current world events whilst staying true to their original brand image.
(500 words 3,227 characters)