Collaborative // GAP: Clothing brands on social media

To get an idea of tone of voice and content I have looked at high street clothing brands that are popular with students - Topshop, ASOS and ZARA.

Topshop

Topshop have 4.1 million likes on their page, so they are clearly successful on social media. The cover photo is details of their clothing in a very fashion-show style, which is reflecting their effort to be seen as similar to high end brands. 

Frequent photoshoots are posted on their facebook page that include young looking models, in ensembles that are very appealing to young people as they hit all the current trends.

'Retro' seems to be a big trend amongst social media where old photographs of celebrities from the 70s/80s/90s are posted as 'style inspiration'. I see this a lot from brands like Topshop.

Overall, Topshop seems to keep some sophistication with its simplistic designs on posts, while using teen-type trends such as lovehearts and cartoon eyes.
Fonts used are very simple and sans-serif.

ASOS

The header image on the facebook page for ASOS is instagram photos taken by consumers, which is obviously trying to prove that their clothes are wearable and attainable. It also encourages people to get involved via social media, which is what spreads a brand quite well amongst students.

Here an effective use of instagram as a marketing strategy is clear: #AsSeenOnMe, which is a play on the name of ASOS: 'As Seen on Stars'. It allows people to get exposure through ASOS posting their photo, while promoting their clothing for free.

ASOS post fashion-orientated articles to keep people interested in their website.

ZARA

Zara are a lot more understated than Topshop and ASOS, as they cater to all ages. Their style is simplicity and quality, which is reflected through their social media. Their logo is very minimal.

#zaradaily is a hashtag for a new outfit posted by Zara every day. This is an effective way of causing interest and making people check back each day to see what they've posted.

From this research I've found that a heavy presence on social media is vital when trying to attract students. Also, design trends are popular as young people follow them more than anyone else.
Hashtags are a way to draw students in as they have a chance of winning something or getting their picture posted.