Vera-The Wang Of Branding

Posted by Sant Qiu in : Strategic Positioning & Branding on October 5, 2007 , trackback

The other day I caught a program on TV titled ‘Behind the Label’. The presenter was interviewing Vera Wang, the famous Asian American designer whose name is synonymous with beautiful, elegant bridal gowns. Just say the name Vera Wang to a woman and you can observe the starry-eyed look on her face as she starts to dream about herself modeling the gowns… even if she has no prospective marriage partner at the moment! That’s how powerful the Vera Wang brand name is.

The interview was interesting as Vera described some of her business philosophies as well as her design. There are some powerful insights she shared in her interview about building a powerful brand. Following is my summary:

To be successful in fashion (and I believe in life) you have to stand for something… even if that is not the current flavor everyone is raving about at the moment. When Vera decided to embark out on her own and focus on bridal gowns, it was not a ‘hot’ thing in the fashion industry.

Prior to building her own brand, she was working for Ralph Lauren. She realized that there was an under-served niche in bridal gowns when she was getting married herself. She felt that there were so many things that could be done for customers in this market. That’s when she started the business. She was in fact, credited for making weddings and the bridal gowns hip and glamorous again.

A good strategy in building a brand is to focus and start in a niche market. Be known for something. If you don’t stand for something and create your own business (and life) philosophy, you will tend to follow the crowd. It is easy to get swayed and just jump on the bandwagon of what’s hot at the moment.

Remember Senator John Kerry when he was running for presidency against George Bush a while back? He gave the public the impression that he was someone who easily changes his mind, and was nicknamed the ‘flip-flopper’.

Guess who won the presidency? Of course there were other factors, but being seen as indecisive and not standing up for something meant that he was perceived as weak.

Vera also naturally enhances her branding by being a 3-in-1 person: an excellent technician (to make the gown), a psychologist (to find out exactly what the clients want) and a family therapist (you know the kind of stress women experience when it comes to their ‘best day of their lives’).

She got involved in the whole process. It is about becoming their friend. By being there for her clients, she further strengthened her brand as the only name for wedding gowns. That’s why they trust her. And that’s why (in her own words) “the moment they got engaged, I’m the first one they call.”

If you are just starting out, it is important to remember to choose your niche and focus in it. Start building a brand by standing for something… and being consistent.

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