Burberry has spent over a century cultivating its brand identity and building a loyal following of customers. Since the outbreak of the First World War in the early 1900s, the Burberry community has been sophisticated and accomplished. Communities form for many reasons in many spaces, varying from “alternative and utopian communities” to “transnational diasporas and virtual communities” (Delanty, 2003).
During the early 2000s, Burberry’s "print had been too overexposed and that image shows it became synonymous with ostentatious luxury"(Rackham, 2017) . Due to the usage of the mail order catalogue, Burberry was "fundamentally anchored in a retail sector that was predominantly targeted at working class consumers for over sixty years. This kind of purchasing gave customers a sense of accomplishment because they had discovered a cost-effective way to purchase high-end items"(Cecil, 2018). The working class, on the other hand, did not perceive themselves as giving Burberry a "bad" reputation by purchasing their products (Weston, 2016).
A group of celebrities and other influencers wore the brand’s clothing, but not in the way the Burberry would want them to (e.g., Daniella Westbrook). These groups of people were associated with ‘chavs’ and hijacked the brand’s image of who they wanted their target consumers to be. "Hijacking occurs when a group of consumers who are not the target market adopt a brand for reasons that were never part of the brand's strategy". There are three types of consumer hijacking: popular, celebrity and tribal (Montgomery, 2003). After Burberry saw that their ideal consumer audience was shifting, they knew that the brand’s perception had to change.
There has always been one staple product in every Burberry collection, and that is the trench coat. The trench coat gained popularity during the First World War due to the innovations in outdoor leisurewear. Burberry decided to exploit the connection between war and "pleasure-culture of war" (Dawson, 1994) by creating tailored garments to fit the upper-class identity of those playing field sports and competitive games during the war (Tynan, 2011). Still to this day, Burberry attracts a very high-class demographic such as the Royal family and other international celebrities, such as Michelle Obama, and in 1990 Burberry was granted a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales as an outfitter (Burberry, 2019).
Burberry decided to change with their target demographic by updating and developing their logo from an equestrian knight with a gentle font in the 1920s to just the company name in stark capitalised letters (Williams, 2018). Burberry opted to make this shift because its new CCO, Riccardo Tisci, had foreseen the company's future orientation and the evolution of its clientele. Since Riccardo Tisci took over, Burberry's target demographic has shifted, but not changed, attracting a new generation of modern, active customers who are vastly different from those who bought from the brand 20 years ago. However, crucial pieces (such as the trench coat) are still included in each collection, but they are modified, styled and marketed in different ways to ensure that they are appropriate for the new target audience.
Burberry was able to establish a create-your-own-style brand of clothes that appeals to the youth by properly listening to their consumers. Burberry has also branched out into streetwear and casual wear, catering to the newest fashion trends (Burberry, 2018). They have been able to strategically position themselves as a lifestyle choice for their heritage consumers, as well as generate new and unique designs for their modern consumers by understanding the motivation behind their fashion choices (Ceil, 2018).
Burberry - 'It’s about that fearless spirit and imagination when pushing boundaries
References
Huggard, E; Cope, J (2020) Communicating fashion brands: theoretical and practical perspectives. London; New York, New York: Routledge.
Montgomery, J. (2003) 'The trouble with tribes Some brands - think Burberry - get 'hijacked' by groups outside their target market. What's a luxury label to do?', Financial Times, 30 Sep, 6, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A108296535/STND?u=bsuc&sid=ebsco&xid=ecf9e53e [Accessed 03 Nov 2021].
Tynan, J. (2011) 'Military Dress and Men's Outdoor Leisurewear: Burberry's Trench Coat in First World War Britain', Journal of Design History, 24(2), pp. 139-156.
Rackham, A (2017) Burberry: How Christopher Bailey reinvented the brand with the chequered past, BBC, [Online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41818169 [Accessed: 11/21]
Burberry, (2019) Burberry Company History. Available at: https://www.burberryplc.com/en/company/history.html [Accessed: 10/21]
Williams, R. (2018) ‘Burberry Is Changing Its Logo for First Time in Two Decades (1)’, Bloomberg.com, p. N.PAG. Available at: https://search-ebscohost-com.bathspa.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=140695889&site=eds-live&scope=site [Accessed: 10/21]
Dawson, G (1994) Soldier Heroes, Routledge, London, pp. 233–58.
Weston, S (2016), Branding Burberry: Britishness, Heritage, Labour and Consumption. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis] Available at: http://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/19358/ [Accessed: 11/21]
Burberry. (2018). Annual Report 2017/18. [online] Available at: https://www.burberryplc.com/content/dam/burberry/corporate/Investors/Results_Reports/2018/Burberry_AnnualReport_FY17-18.pdf [Accessed 11/21].
Ceil, C. (2018), Burberry Case Study about Consumer Behaviour, [Online] Available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=3520418 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3520418
[Images 1 & 2] Pemberton, B. (2019) CHECK PLEASE! From Megan Barton Hanson to Danniella Westbrook – how D-list celebs have ruined Burberry’s high-class reputation, The Sun, [Online image] Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/8640803/megan-barton-hanson-daniella-westbrook-d-list-celebs-ruined-burberrys-reputation/ [Accessed: 10/21]
[Image 3] Griffiths, J; Cox, J ‘CHECKING OUT Is this why Burberry is burning its surplus stock? 15 times loaded celebs made the brand look tacky’, The Sun, [Online image] Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/6817668/why-burberry-burning-surplus-stock-15-times-loaded-celebs-brand-tacky/ [Accessed: 11/21]
[Image 5] Bass-Krueger, M. (2019) 'Vogue encyclopaedia: The history of the trench coat', Vogue, [Online image] Available at: https://www.vogue.fr/fashion/article/vogue-encyclopaedia-the-history-of-the-trench-coat [Accessed: 11/21]
[Image 4] Allaire, C (2018) ‘Queen Elizabeth II’s Travel Wardrobe Champions British Fashion’, Vogue, [Online image]Available at: https://www.vogue.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-travel-style-burberry-scarf-british-fashion [Accessed: 11/21]
[Image 6] Luckhurst, P (2013) ‘Michelle Obama Speaks In Belfast – The First Lady Wore Burberry’, Elle, [Online image] Available at: https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/news/a3170/michelle-obama-speech-belfast-g8/ [Accessed: 11/21]
[Video 1] Burberry (2020) “'It’s about that fearless spirit and imagination when pushing boundaries.' #RiccardoTisci” [Online video] Available at: https://youtu.be/QbmW76Cp4s8 [Accessed: 10/21]
[Cover image] TESTINO, M (2014) My Burberry Fragrance, [Online image] Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/kate-moss-cara-delevingne-my-burberry-perfume-advert [Accessed: 10/21]
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