INTRODUCTION

Digital Media has over the last few years been at the forefront of many a marketingstrategy spanning across a wide spectrum of sectors. Marketers are now beginning tounderstand the finer nuances of milking digital media in order to develop brands theyrepresent. Of all the industries to learn that every company has to become a mediacompany, the fashion industry wouldn’t instinctively leap out as an early adapter. It hasbeen built on telling the consumer what to wear and perpetuating the “art” ofdesign.But, in fact, the fashion industry has embraced digital media and is basking in itsnew, more direct, “relationship” with its customers. It is using digital media to tell amuch more interesting story about what it is offering, to take an enhanced version of itstraditional “runway” presentation directly to the public, to all their customers toexperiment with and customize their products and to learn what their customers arebuying and aren’t buying, and why.Major brands like Gucci and Ralph Lauren have acted as technical evangelists in theirown right by utilizing the services of the digital media to the hilt. Both these brands arenow present on every possible digital platform; using them to engage their customers inmore than just buying.With technology and digital space expanding and progressing at a breakneck speed;every year this digital space gives birth to new phenomena which can be capitalized onand used cleverly as a part of a brand’s marketing mix.

1.1 CHOICE OF STUDY:Technological development has gained prominent stature in influencing company’sprocesses and profitability. The birth of the internet and its previously unanticipatedinfluence has given rise to several opportunities and has been researched in varioussubjects and defined in various terms. Nevertheless, there is a clear shortage ofacademic literature which gives insight into the impact of social media and web 2.0 toolsin the context of fashion in India. Most of the academic literature is dedicated to themarkets in the western world where internet penetration is not only higher but usage ismore sophisticated and there is not enough literature on how consumers perceivefashion companies’ initiatives to influence their private space in India.Fashion firms were late adopters of social media, adopting it only during its secondwave. This also gave rise to new platforms and refined communication. Theunprecedented rise in use of smart phones and tablets and availability of mobile internetconnection increased the penetration of social media, thus in its wake giving rise to newinfluencers in Fashion. It also opened doors for individuals who were consideredoutsiders and thus “democratised” how fashion was viewed and consumed.

RESEARCH BRIEFAim:to study the rise of new social and digital media tools, channels by fashion industry to market its products..

1.2 Objectives:

1. To analyse the impact of brand communication through social and digital mediachannels

2.To understand the brand awareness and perception with respect to the fashion industry.

3. To study the impact of social media tools on fashion marketing and selling.

4.To see the impact of digital media on the path of purchase.

1.3 Research methodology:

1. Research design: Exploratory Research design.2. Sources of data:

• Secondary sources: secondary data offer insight and relevant information,which may be sufficient to solve the marketing questions. Secondary data may beuseful as a reference base to compare research findings too. The various sources ofsecondary information I have used are as follows: Internet, magazines, newspaper articles other fashion guides.Trend reports, research studies by organisations such as AT Kearney,McKinsey, Google, Deloitte etc.

2) REVIEW OF LITERATURE1. P. Sri Jothi, M. Neelamalar and R. Shakthi Prasad (2011) did a study on effectivecommunication strategy in developing brand communication and to find theimpact of interaction through these communication media amongst Indian users.The research study adopted survey and content analysis to identify the reach ofthe brand among its target audience, ways of impact, usage of social media toolsand access to these forms of communication.

2. Noor-e-Hira Naveed (2012) did a study on the “Role of Social Media on PublicRelation, Brand Involvement and Brand Commitment” in the context of Pakistan.The study used a desctiptive research design collecting data from 300

respondents to find out relationship between brand image and consumerpurchasing behaviour. It concluded a significant role of social media on publicrelations, brand involvement and brand commitment.

3. Per E Asberg (2009) analysed the evaluation of brand performance using socialmedia among consumers. A descriptive research was undertaken that presentedways companies were using blogs and other social media platforms to cost efficientlyunderstand and track brand buzz.

4. Dan Shaver (2007) in his research established that customers are beinginfluenced by social media. In order to attract customers positively towards aproduct, a company needs to build a strong social media presence. Buildeing astrong social media presence requires engaging with the target demographic,building relationships that help brands build their trust and their business.

5. Rajeev Kumar (2008) in his research established that social media has enabledconsumers to form stronger opinions and express them more broadly about aspecific product or a brand. Social Media has provided a richer base of knowledgefor the consumers before going through a purchasing process.

6. Barthelemy, S., M. Bethell, T. Christiansen, A. Jarsvall & K. Koinis. 2011. “TheFuture of Print Media.” Capstone Report. Retrieved 9 December, 2011 fromBarthelemy et al studied the challenges the print media is facing and the future ofprint media. The study talks about how the newspaper (printed) is alreadybecoming out of date, since most people watch and read the same news storieswith the help of New Media. The rise of internet usage is another factor for thiskind of a trend and also the time spent by users reading online or in social mediasites such as Facebook, Twitter. The new media, being cheaper, interactive andflexible, is posing challenges to the traditional media: 1.) Publications arestruggling with the profound disruptions brought on by the Internet and therising cost of newsprint and transportation. 2). Decline in readership which inturn leads to loss in advertisements. However, the study concludes that there arestill complementarities between the new media and conventional media. Theywill continue to coexist and reinforce each other particularly in developing

countries.

7. New media versus traditional media (January 2011)by Tinus de Jager.The study talks about how traditional media houses are losing circulationnumbers and advertising revenue internationally. With internet has shownstrong growth, cell phones have shown a much higher penetration in the market,making it an ideal source for reaching untapped markets by advertisers andmarketers.

8. Banerjee, I. 2008. “The Impact of New Media on Traditional Mainstream MassMedia – A Critical Assessment.” A Series of Lectures on Trends & Future of theMalaysian Mass Media. Presented at Dewan Tunku Canselor, University ofMalaya Kuala Lumpur.

9. Ali Salman et al studied the advent of new media posing a challenge toconventional media. This paper looked at the present situation of conventionalmedia, especially print newspapers vis-à-vis. the new media. There is a drop incirculation, because the younger generation prefer the new media as they aremore interactive compared to the online version of mainstream. The study talksabout The Internet as a global new medium. People have their own Internetconnections, so they can read newspapers online, thus squeezing revenues fromadvertising especially at a time of global economic slowdown. However, the studyconcludes that the new media and conventional media will continue to coexistand reinforce each other.

3) The Market for Digital MediaWith projections of better than 6% growth over the next five years, it is widely believedthat the media and entertainment sector is expected to continue with the success it hasenjoyed over the past decade. Consensus forecasts suggest that most of the growth willcome from new digital media that was designed from inception to be interactive (“born”interactive). This new media will be delivered through Internet and mobile platforms,unlike traditional media which, according to forecasts, will continue to confront ashrinking market. With the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China) expected togrow about 14% over next few years, players operating in media and entertainment are

also looking toward these markets for future growth opportunities.The future, according to conventional thinking, is in interactive media and in emergingmarkets. However, a closer look at the media sector paints a slightly different picture.Increasing digitization and more versatile media applications are likely to make theinteractive component of traditional media a more attractive opportunity than newdigital media in the foreseeable future

3.1 Emerging markets will drive growth

Globalization has presented some outstanding opportunities for the media andentertainment sector, and will likely be the primary source of growth for thesecompanies in the near future. Today, major U.S. film studios earn most of their film andhome video revenues from sales in foreign markets. The increasingly influential BRICcountries, along with a host of other emerging economies, will continue to drive growth.In contrast, more mature economies will experience a period of slower growth. Whileprices are generally lower in emerging economies, rising incomes, infrastructureimprovements, and the potential for higher sales volumes can make these marketshighly attractive in the long term. Strong macroeconomic expansion is driving growthin emerging markets. Infrastructure improvements, particularly in broadband and multichannel television, will also play an important role. Low penetration of both suggests that there is still substantial room for growth. Internet advertising, Internet access, and television services are expected to lead the increase in entertainment and media spending in these countries.

In BRIC countries, average spending on media and entertainment grew by 17.8% in2007. The sector’s expansion is expected to continue to outpace that of gross domesticproduct by a healthy margin, as the rising disposable incomes of an urban middle classtranslate into increased consumer spending in these categories. Online and mobiledistribution will only become more important to the future of media in these markets.

Figure 1. Entertainment and media revenues in developed and developing countries: 2002–2012

Source: Wilkofsky Gruen Associates, June 2008

3.2 Digital media channels on the rise

While the more established segments of the media and entertainment sector willcontinue to dominate, their growth is slowing substantially as consumers migrate tomedia delivered through digital and mobile channels. Digital and mobile distributionconstituted only 5% of global media and entertainment spending in 2007. However,during the next five years, these revenues will account for 24% of the industry’s growthand will constitute 10% of global media and entertainment spending in 2012. Thisgrowth will offset flat or declining growth in more established areas of the business.Companies are making bold plays to follow consumers into a more digitally orientedfuture. However, they continue to wrestle with the challenge of creating business modelsthat can adequately monetize their investments.The current thinking in the sector is to look at emerging markets and new media.Emerging markets are expected to provide new growth opportunities for applicationsand solutions that are already in existence in developed markets. Further growth indeveloped markets is expected to be driven by new media based on mobile andbroadband. However, we believe that new media will not be the primary growth driverfor the media and entertainment sector.

Trends point to greater role for interactive mediaConsumers are increasingly turning to interactive channels to consume media. Thoughgrowth is expected to be flat in traditional media, it is unevenly distributed acrosssegments and some types of media could see growth on par with digital media.

3.3 The media and entertainment sector:can be classifiedinto the following three segmet

• Going interactive: Represents traditional media sectors that historically usedanalog technologies but are beginning to use digital and interactive technologies toreach customers. Examples include interactive television and radio

• Born interactive: Represents those sectors that are inherently digital andinteractive, such as mobile and web

• Emerging: Represents new technologies that today hold only a negligible shareof the market. This segment is expected to remain small in the near future and has notbeen considered for further analysis.

Traditional media remains the most effectiveopportunity in China and India

The analysis of emerging markets focused on the two most important developingeconomies, India and China. The Going Interactive segment in these countries isexpected to grow by a robust CAGR of 28%, albeit on a smaller base than developed

markets. The Born Interactive segment in emerging markets is also expected to providedouble-digit growth. Rising penetration and increasing popularity of Internet andmobile-based applications are contributing to this growth. The main limiting factortoday is the absence of the high-end infrastructure needed to run these devicesand applications, a situation which will eventually change. The media market in China(the largest of the emerging markets) is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15% through2012, which is slower than the expected growth rate of interactive services in the UnitedStates.Therefore, traditional media, as represented by the going interactive segment, remainsthe main opportunity in emerging markets. That said, these countries will also serve asgood test beds for those media players who offer services in the born interactivesegment.

3.4 Challenges

Digital Marketing is a growing field across sectors today. While it comes with a plethoraof opportunities, there are also challenges that must be overcome in order to fullyharness the capabilities of this opportunity. The article talks of some of the mostprominent challenges that businesses today face when they align their business strategy(more specifically, their marketing strategy) with digital marketing.

The forms of digital marketing now. There are mainly two categories of digitalmarketing, namely the push marketing and pull marketing. In pull marketing, the onusis on the customer to explore different available products/services. In push marketing,the business houses push their products to the customer.Digital marketing provides various channels for both the push and pull marketing.There are various channels of digital marketing. This may be by sending promotionalinformation to customers or prospective customers through emails, spreadingawareness through blogging, podcasting, video streaming, search enginemarketing, social media, sms marketing, application based mobile marketing, etc.There is no dearth of options available to choose the channel of communication.Markets are getting globalized thanks to digital marketing, e-commerce basedbusinesses are flourishing, etc. Digital marketing is everywhere with you, on yourlaptops and cell-phones. No industry is untouched by the disruptive digital marketing.Be it Business-to-Business or Business-to-Customer or Customer-to-Customer, todayeverything is being sold through digital channels.Companies typically devote 1/4th of their online marketing budget to their websitedevelopment. According to a prominent marketing benchmark, here is how typicalallocation looks like:

( http://www.marketingsherpa.com/1news/chartofweek-03-20-12-lp.htm )

The biggest challenge lies in identifying the channel(s) which fit yourbusiness requirements. While each channel has its own reach, advantages andrichness, there are associated costs with each of them. Every business has a fixedmarketing budget and thus need to invest wisely so as to maximize its returns. Theproblem is how to choose. No one wants to miss the bus. Specially with the emergingsocial media marketing, companies are not sure which one would work for theirbusiness at the optimal cost.Most companies are reactive rather than proactive in choosing the channel for theirbusiness. They choose a channel because others in the industry are doing so, withoutseeing inside their own business model. What is required is an inside-out approachwhere the business leaders identify what are their objectives and which channel fits bestwith respect to these objectives. Unfortunately, businesses today are falling into the trapof doing the reverse. They select a channel and then see how it can meet theirobjective. Its not just the choice of channel which is challenging, but also differentchannels need to be chosen at different times, depending on the changing marketdynamics. The frequency of the messages is critical. Too many messages may bug thecustomer, too less may not capture his attention.

Next associated challenge is the capability of digital marketing to breakyour business. Thanks to things going digital, it takes minutes for a bad word tospread. And before you know, you are out of business. Here, the author would refer tothe case study on Dell, popularly called “the Dell-Hell”. Dell received complaints fromone of its customer, but did not attend to it satisfactorily. The frustrated customer,

“Blogger Jeff Jarvis” started a series of blogs, popularly called the “Dell-Hell” and withindays many more agitated customers joined in, the sales dropped and Dell lost crucialpoints on few of the industry’s crucial customer satisfaction surveys.Thus, while companies create many avenues of customer interactions, sometimesCustomer-to-Business and lately, Customer-to-Customer, they need to understand thatthe product quality, customer support become all the more important as one wrongword can break your business. Even more worrisome is the point that your competitorsmay get into unethical practices and malign your business. This is more so in developingcountries where the regulatory laws are not strong.

Another challenge of digital marketing is the pace at which it is evolving.Few years ago, companies used to do make 5 year plans on their marketing strategies.Not any more can they do so. What is “hot” one year is out-of-date the other. Companiesare in a fix and do not know how to strategically plan their investments in digitalmarketing. We must not forget that investing in channels like mobile applicationdevelopment, etc incur huge costs and the companies need to really reap the benefits ofdeveloping these quickly, before the technology fades and newer technologyemerges. We cannot get up one fine morning and think of going online.Many banks are still in a fix on whether to develop mobile applications, how muchcomplexity to add on these applications and what all platforms to cater to. It takes a lotof money, infrastructure to get into digital marketing space. Add to that the cost ofmaintaining the older channels, and businesses are in a fix. Businesses must not just beagile to evaluate and adopt new digital marketing opportunities, but also smart enoughto abandon the older ones. Maintaining older channels, even though they are not longergenerating business kills the revenue stream for many businesses.

There are no perfect metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of digitalmarketing. How do you measure the ROI of any channel? Are there any standards?There are no set answers for these questions. So, while businesses are aware of the needto spend on digital avenues, they are not aware of how to measure which channel worksbest for their industry, for their business. Thus it is really a subjective judgement madeby business houses and may not be perfect. Analytics is working on developingsophisticated tools for measuring the effectiveness of the digital marketing andhopefully should throw some light for the business houses.

One must remember that going digital does not translate into completelydoing away with brick and mortar stores. First of all, not all things can be soldonline. While most businesses can use digital marketing for creating brand awareness,this does not necessarily translate into sales. We cannot expect people to buy high valueitems online. At the same time, people still like to feel certain products beforepurchasing. While customers may make buying decision online, they still prefer to go toa physical store to buy. Thus digital marketing cost is over and above the usual costsincurred and do not act as substitute. Businesses need to maintain both the traditionaland digital channels of marketing and sales and this is additional cost.

Digital Marketing has low entry barriers. Businesses based on e-commerce are

seen as low entry barrier setups. But, what is low entry for one person is also low entryfor the other. This effectively means that competition is more fierce for digital basedbusinesses. Customer loyalty is low online. Since customers do not have any personalinteraction with the sellers, the switching rate is much higher for digital businessescompared to the traditional businesses.

Businesses need to align their digital marketing efforts with the traditionalones. These too should complement rather than canibalize each other. Simplymarketing through a plethora of channels would not serve the purpose. Businesses needto structure their marketing campaigns to reap the maximum benefits.

Customer expectations are at all time high. They need and appreciate customizedproducts, customized buying recommendations, personalized attention evendigitally. This has to be done at the right frequency.

Digital marketing can result in internal process re-oganization need. As thereach of digital marketing, businesses find out that their current processes and databasemodels are not designed to support the new needs of the businesses. Thus, afundamental reorganization of internal processes and systems is called for. Theserequirements can be a huge cost and result in severe downtimes and thus need to behandled with a good amount of discretion and after evaluation. Line betweeninnovation and adoption is thinning.In the race to match the external business environment, business focus should not shiftaway from innovation. Businesses need to mature enough to decide what works best forthem rather than just do what others are doing in the space of digital marketing.Customers look for differentiation both in products and the way the products aremarketed. Compromising one for the other will ultimately lead to loss of business.

To conclude, while digital marketing is necessary and literally, no business surviveswithout it, it incurs huge cost, changes everyday and presents the problem of plenty.Marketers need to be prompt to identify what would work for them in the short run aswell as in the long run, and work in tandem with the other organization functions toeffectively use the channel of digital marketing. No doubt, the digital marketing is hereto stay. The challenges if overcome will help each business to differentiate and grow as aleader in its industry.

Too many platforms: New digital media includes Brand’s own website; shopping portalslike amazon, flipkart, fashion and you, 99labels, urbantouch.com , jabong; blogs likecupidspeakonline, twitter, tumblr, application for different platforms like iOS, Android,Windows, Blackberry; Softwares, tools like pinterest, instagram, amper, second life;There is plethora of new digital media and one does not know where to concentrate toengage the customer.Concern about privacy: people have to get comfortable stab free trust: Digital mediatracks cookies, online history to keep a record of the pages/products viewed. Personalinformation is shared with other online portals for their own benefit. This raises privacyconcerns and customer is skeptical about his data being misused.

3.5 Some areas where the digital ‘New media’ can learn from the Traditional ‘Old media’

TV is dead. Print is dead. Radio is dead. Outdoor is dead.However, somehow the majority of ad budgets go to those four media. Moreover,they’ve been around for 70 years or more and client’s processes have been built uparound them. While Digital Media is the future and (increasingly) the present, there isstill a lot that “New Media” can learn from “Old Media.” Here are five examples:

1. Trading Metrics vs. Performance Metrics: In “Old Media” GRP (Gross RatingPoints) is the standard for trading. However, nobody really thinks that GRP planning iseffective because it values frequency (how many times you reach people) equal tocoverage (how many you reach), which they clearly are not.As we all know, it can be difficult to meet new people but your mother can call you 50times a day. The value of advertising is in reaching people and a lot of money can bewasted if you spend too much on too few. Therefore, advertisers negotiate rates on GRPand rate performance on another, internal metric (usually cost per coverage in anarrower target than they declare).This is still valid in “New Media.” There’s too much emphasis on how you pay and notenough on how campaigns are delivering on goals.

2. Media Multiplier: Media complement each other and there are synergisticeffects. A light TV campaign with support from Radio, Press and Outdoor willoutperform a heavy TV campaign for the same budget. That doesn’t change. CTR’s(click-thru-rates), and Cost per Acquisition can vary widely according to other mediaactivity (online and offline) and general brand awareness.

3. Client service: Why do so many “New Media“ people seem to revel in telling client’sabout the “Great Digital Threat” and pointing out that their way of doing things isover? The role of a good salesperson should be to make the prospect feel morecomfortable with what she is buying, not less so.4. Engagement: It’s not all about clicks or immediate response, especially in categorieswith long product cycles. While digital media has been hyped as the “super-accountablemedia” in the past, social media is bringing this issue to the fore. While clients, Printand Event people DO understand the value of engagement, it seems that “New Media”people are going to have to switch paradigms somewhat.

5. Integration: Ad Agencies used to be full service. People learned how to worktogether for 30 years or so until the rise of specialist agencies forced a segmentation ofthe marketing world. While the agency world seems to have reversed the trend (thereare now full service subsidiaries of specialist agencies) most “New Media” people seemto want to specialize as much as possible. It’s still early days, we lack standards andnobody really truly understands what’s going on. Integration will be a key success factorfor at least the next decade or so.

4) Various Digital Marketing ToolsWith the level of activity on the internet growing rapidly, the need for businesses to havea strong online marketing presence has never been greater. Consumers are spending anincreasing amount of time online – at work, at home and on their mobiles. Because ofthis, they expect to be able to access information quickly and easily. In order to besuccessful online, you need to ensure your website is easily found, easily navigated andeasily remembered. To do this you will need a comprehensive online marketing strategy.

Social media marketing traditionally serves four main onlinemarketing purposes:

1. To increase traffic to your website via Facebook posts, tweets, YouTube video’s andso on2. To track perceptions about your brand in the market place (Twitter and Facebooksearch)3. To find, interact, engage and hopefully sell to captive audiences/customers4. As a customer service tool

4.1 Segments of Social Media Marketing:PRIMARY EXECUTION• Brand Website: According to a study based on companies such as Levis,Procter and Gamble, Kraft, and L'Oreal, the analysis revealed that, on average,80% of visitors to their websites are consistently high and medium valuecustomers, proving that websites are, in fact, a critical customer touch-point andare effective in building brand, increasing purchase intent, and streamliningmarketing initiatives.

• Promo Website : Its an online resource to promote, market the brand, product,service, and events. The main distinguishing features of a promotional site is astylish, creative and dynamic design with flash movies, and the main feature isthe development of the logo and its positioning with further support andrefinement. Achieving these objectives is achieved by attracting a high number ofvisitors. Creating a promotional site to quickly and clearly state their product on

the Internet. Creating site of this kind is very time-consuming process thatrequires great efforts of specialists from various branches of internet technologiesand internet marketing.

• Email Marketing : Email marketing is directly marketing a commercialmessage to a group of people using email. In its broadest sense, every email sentto a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. Itusually involves using email to send ads, request business, or solicit sales ordonations, and is meant to build loyalty, trust, or brand awareness. Emailmarketing can be done to either cold lists or current customer database. Broadly,the term is usually used to refer to:_ Sending email messages with the purpose of enhancing the relationship ofa merchant with its current or previous customers, to encouragecustomerloyalty and repeat business,_ Sending email messages with the purpose of acquiring new customers orconvincing current customers to purchase something immediately,_ Adding advertisements to email messages sent by other companies to theirCustomers

• Display Rich/Interactive Marketing :customers and prospects to participate in the process of building a brand's imagein a certain market or target group's minds. Thanks to the consumer's ability to"interrupt" a brand's communications and to complement or modifyto fit his or her perception, the process of building the brand itself iscrowdsourced among its main target group, with or without the brand manager'sintervention.A brand that only communicates is having a monologue and may not be heard actively by its audience. InteractiveCommunications take place when both sides pay attention to the other, and adialogue exists. Basis for a good interactive dialogue is the ability to interrupt theother party at any time.

• Social Media Platforms :

are increasingly changing the way media is being produced distributed andconsumed. Unconventional social media platforms like blogs are also redefiningjournalism these days where individuals are expressing their opinions on relevantissues.Most of the fashion firms today have their accounts on Facebook, Twitter andsimilar social media platforms through which they interact with their customersand inform them about their upcoming collections, events etc.

Interactive Marketingwith its consumers via massive oneInternet tools like Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook reach out to a wide audience.

SECONDARY EXECUTION• Ad Network : An online advertising network or ad network is a company thatconnects advertisers to web sites that want to host advertisements. The keyfunction of an ad network is aggregation of ad space supply from publishers andmatching it with advertiser demand. The phrase "ad network" by itself is medianeutralin the sense that there can be a "Television Ad Network" or a "Print AdNetwork", but is increasingly used to mean "online ad network" as the effect ofaggregation of publisher ad space and sale to advertisers is most commonly seenin the online space. The fundamental difference between traditional media adnetworks and online ad networks is that online ad networks use a central Adserver to deliver advertisements to consumers, which enables targeting, trackingand reporting of impressions in ways not possible with analog media alternatives.

• Geo targeting :Geo targeting in geomarketing and internet marketing is themethod of determining the geolocation of a website visitor and deliveringdifferent content to that visitor based on his or her location, such as country,region/state, city, metro code/zip code, organization, IP address, ISP or othercriteria. A common usage of geo targeting is found in online advertising, as wellas internet television with sites such as iPlayer and Hulu restricting content tothose geolocated in specific countries (also known as digital rights management).

• SEO : Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibilityof a website or a web page in a search engine's natural or un-paid searchresults.In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), andmore frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it willreceive from the search engine's users.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, whatpeople search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search enginesand which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing awebsite may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to bothincrease its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexingactivities of search engines.

• App-vertising : Advertisers are beginning to take advantage of the richness andflexibility of interfaces such as the iPad to develop ads that have much more incommon with apps than traditional commercials. It is a new form of BrandPositioning for companies to utilise by promoting their brand through adownloadable mobile application. The new innovation could finally harness whathas always been a tantalising but frustrating potential of Mobile Advertising.

Some of the widely used fashion apps are:_ Style.com :Style.com’s app pushes runway coverage from New York, Paris,Milan and London straight to your iPhone. Keep up with ready-to-wear,menswear, womenswear, couture, runway shows, party coverage and more. Youcan also stream Style.com’s entire video library, which includes not only runwayclips but also designer and celebrity profiles_ Tokyo Fashion : Tokyo Fashion is arguably the most popular English-languageJapanese street fashion website in the world. With its app you can get dailyupdated street snaps from Harajuku and other areas of Tokyo, Japanese fashionnews, fashion brand profiles, Tokyo shop info, updates from various socialnetworks, coverage of Japan Fashion Week and more._ Vogue Daily News :Vogue’s online media team keep you even further up-todateon all of fashion with backstage access, insider interviews, and access to thebest names and faces in the industry via Vogue’s live Twitter feed._ Valet Magazine : This magazine for modern men features news and servicebasedstories on style, grooming and culture, all tailored specifically for viewingon the iPhone. Enjoy the same easy-to-navigate how-to guides posted daily onValetmag.com, plus features only found in the app, such as the Local Concierge —mag-endorsed style resources in nearly 100 cities — and the Personal Dossier,

where you can learn how to take your own measurements and then save them.

_ Style Tag : StyleTag enables users to share their favorite looks with otherfashion-loving smartphone users, as well as keep up with what everyone else iswearing. The app will update you with real-time photos of fashion styles found onthe street. You can also customize your StyleTag fashion feeds by subscribing toyour favorite brands, designers, styles and trends, as well as those users whosestyle you can’t get enough of.

• Contextual Search : Google calls it AdSense,Yahoo calls it ContentMatch,Hundreds of other specialized vertical and niche search providers call itcontextual search. Simply put, the difference between content search andstandard sponsored or directive search listings lies in where the ads appear.Contextual search listings appear on content sites instead of Search Results Pages(SERPS). Advertisers bid on keyword costs. Many fashion brand use this tool topull customers towards their site whenever they search for things that are similarto their assortment.

TERTIARY EXECUTION• E Commerce : Recently, sites like ShoeDazzle, Everlane, BeachMint andIndochino are taking a web-only approach. By foregoing the middlemen in thevalue chain and the costs of maintaining physical stores, these e-tailers are ableto cut the waste in apparel distribution. As a result, consumers benefit fromhigher quality goods at lower prices.• Branded Sponsorship :Brands Use Fashion Week Sponsorships to Strut TheirStuff. Brands build media exposure credibility and connections with the mucho

sought-after influencer segment. Almost every other fashion brand endorse somecelebrity in fashion, sports or media to increase the consumer’s attention intotheir brand and to increase the brand image. They also sponsor events likefashion shows, Fashion meets and certain sporting events to gain attention and tobuild a brand image amongst their existing and potential consumers. Forexample, Hugo Boss, Gieves & Hawkes and Hackett are three new breed ofFormula 1 sponsors.• Podcasts : A podcast is a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series ofaudio radio, video, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through websyndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device. The word is aneologism derived from "broadcast" and "pod" from the success of the iPod, aspodcasts are often listened to on portable media players.Some of the famous podcasts available in the market are :_ The Fashion Update is an essential reference for anyone who likes to not justkeep up with the trends, but to stay one step ahead of them. Kylie’s wealth of styleinformation will definitely keep you at the top of your fashion game at all times. Ifyou never miss an episode, you’ll never fall behind._ Nylon TV is a perfect alternative for experiencing the greatness of the magazinebut in a totally different way. Interviews, fashion shows, and more, this version isa little bit like sitting back and jumping straight into the pages and experiencingthem for yourself._ DIY Style steers away from all the glitz and glam of high fashion and caters tofashionistas who like to get hands-on with their creative side. Each episode givesgreat step by step instructions with every project, so if you’re a visual learner, thispodcast is for you._ MOD TV lets you live the glamorous life…at least for as long as the episode (andyour imagination) allows. This podcast brings the exciting drama of the fashionworld up close and personal.

• Viral Marketing : Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz arebuzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing socialnetworks and other technologies to produce increases in brand awareness or toachieve other marketing objectives. Viral marketing may take the form of videoclips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images,text messages, email messages, or web pages.Recently, House of Fraser, Gap, Selfridges, Habitat, Next, HMV and DorothyPerkins are among retailers that have e-mailed discount vouchers andpromotional codes to thousands of potential customers. Such offers have beenwidely circulated via the internet, clogging up inboxes and sparking a rush oncertain stores - most notoriously Threshers, the off-licence chain, that learnt to itscost the potential dangers of viral marketing.• Virtual/Augmented Reality : Turns out that in the next couple of years,customers will be able to try on clothes and products at home with no shippingrequired. Technology will allow shoppers to virtually wear garments -- smelling,hearing and feeling the fabric as if it were real.Augmented reality technology typically overlays the virtual world on top of thereal-world environment through a device, such as a mobile phone or a tablet. But

certain companies are redefining the bounds of virtual reality experiences byhome-growing their own unique AR technologies and platforms.Althoughaugmented reality, in its current state, is still a young and developing industry,our bet is that it's going to completely change retail. Here are a few companiesthat are leading the way._ GoldRun's augmented reality platform lives on an app, optimized for iOS andAndroid phones and tablets.GoldRun can customize memorable AR-based experiences that users want toshare on Facebook and Twitter. Clients, from international clothing stores tomovie studios, are flocking to use the GoldRun platform and reach sociallyconnected customers.GoldRun specializes in interactive experiences accessible directly on the appplatform, which hosts various campaigns at one time. For example, clothingretailer H&M can hold a virtual photo-based scavenger hunt, while New YorkGiants fans can virtually try on the Super Bowl XLVI championship ring andshare photos online.

_ Holition is a combination luxury marketing firm and AR laboratory. Thecompany serves a huge list of luxury clients, including Tissot, De Beers,Boucheron and Tacori. And in its East London offices, Holition's marketers,luxury experts, developers, 3D designers and "2D artists and futurists" sit andwork side-by-side, creating innovative augmented reality technology.The company creates personalized interactive digital platforms to showcasevarious products. The incredibly intricate augmented reality technology iscomplicated on the back end, but it allows customers to seamlessly try on virtualgoods right in front of their computer. All that's needed is a web cam and anInternet connection.