EOC Discussion Questions: Chapter 2

1. Fashion advertising changed since the mid-twentieth century because “mass marketing included advertising and fashion branding that was directed at all consumer groups.” (Brand Story) Some differences between ads that appeared before the 1950s and those from the 1950, 1960s today because back then “fashion branding was focused on giving consumers the features such as fabric, fit, color, style and benefits.” (Brand Story) During the 90’s ads we’re more sophisticated and mainly focused on what was being sold. Today’s ads are all about sex appeal and looking good. Today we see ads where people are almost naked and have less words/messages on them.
   
2. Some theories related to fashion branding is that Barthes believes “clothing garments is presented in the fashion system at three distinct levels: the real garment or actual garment itself, the terminological garment and the rhetorical written garment.” Jean Baudrillard contended ”the sign (the real of the image) is distorted by moving through the four stages: 1. It is a reflection of basic reality, 2. It masks and perverts a basic reality, 3. It makes the absence of a basic reality, 4. It bears no relation to any reality.” (Brand Story) Hamilton, Debord, Agins, Gobe and McCracken relate to those of Barthes and Baurdillard because they touched on the issues of how and why merchandise is distributed and made, recognize a retailers talent to create meanings and fantasies, how product is marketed and how brands can capture emotions and personal convictions. They all tie in together because it is the different ways in order to get a consumers attention.
   
3. Grant McCracken associates with fashion products because he indentified nine different types of meanings that are usually targeted by companies. They are gender, lifestyle, decade, age, class and status, occupation, time and place, value and fad, fashion and trend meanings. I agree with him because this is everything that a company would need to know and understand.