Illusion of Free Choice

Luxxotica is a company that creates nearly all of the designer eyewear consumers can purchase on the market today. According to Forbes, Luxxotica made 75 million glasses in 2012, including brands such as Prada, Tiffany & Co, Coach, Versace, Bulgari, Chanel , Dolce & Gabbana, Ray-Ban and more. Luxottica produced 46.6 million sunglasses and 26.1 million prescription frames. Then it sold them through one of its 7,000 retail stores like Sunglasses Hut, Pearle Vision or LensCrafters around the globe.

What this highlights is the marketing techniques of fashion brands in order to appeal to its target audience. Take for example the differences between Ray- Ban and Prada. 

In the Ray-Ban advert, the attractive models are seen to be enjoying their environment, laughing, whilst dressed in everyday clothes that the normal consumer can see themselves in. The black and white filter over the image gives Ray-Ban a more refined aesthetic that elevates the brands social status. This is further emphasised by the line of copy on the top of the ad which explicitly states that Ray Ban is a cool brand, a brand that celebrates independence of character and being true to yourself. With this in mind, it is clear that Ray-Ban wants to appeal to a wide target audience, as evidenced by the female and male model, and because of this wide appeal, the sunglasses are priced as such, if not appealing to a slightly more upscale crowd. 

Compare this to an advert by Prada. 

Unlike the Ray-Ban advert, Prada does not try to sell a lifestyle that the sunglasses can create but rather focusing on the sunglasses which are the focal point of the advert. Prada also conveys a high fashion aesthetic through its clear use of a runway model, an objective/neutral background, clothing accessories that compliment the sunglasses colour scheme and a simple statement of just "Prada Eyewear". The seemingly effortless advertising made by Prada communicates a brand that appeals entirely towards it intended audience. That audience being those that are more fashion conscious, those that probably attend fashion shows, those who want to have an air of sophistication through their perfect make up and hair and most importantly those who have money and higher in the social ladder. Prada is an esteemed and established fashion house in the industry. They do not need a tagline to advertise their products unlike Ray-Bans. When this is all factored together, the advert effectively communicates the fact that Prada is an expensive, high fashion brand. This is evidence through their pricing of their actual sunglasses.

The significance of demonstrating this example is to show how brands advertise their products to appeal to a certain target audience which then dictates their pricing point. It would be logical to think that the higher the brands value, in this case Prada, the higher the quality of the product. This is because more expensive materials and skilled manufacturing process would have been used to justify the high pricing point. However if Luxxotica are manufacturing and distributing these sunglasses, this would break the illusion of choice as the quality of the sunglasses are not a determining factor. When the quality of the sunglasses are not a factor anymore, it is how these two brands use advertising to sell a certain identity to the consumer. The consumer then aligns his/her perceived self image to the brand and buys the product, bearing in mind if Luxxotica is taken into the equation. The consumer may still have preconceived notions of the brands quality if he/she does not know of Luxxotica. 

In terms of the practical work, what this means is that the advert should focus on advertising techniques. How the brands communicate a certain identity onto the consumer rather than relying on the brands heritage or quality to sell the product.