Feminist Statements in Fashion Marketing : and Their Affect on Brand Image

Abstract: Sweden is moving towards a society where not being a feminist is considered unmodern and conservative. People are fighting for women's rights and equality between the sexes. This feminist movement in Sweden is starting to show in more and more businesses. The fashion business has recently adapted the same movement and feminism has been used in different types of marketing, such as gender neutral merchandising or statement advertisements. The focus of this thesis is statements on products and the purpose is to investigate how Swedish consumers’ brand image of a high end fashion brand is affected by the brand using symbols of feminist statements on their products. The theoretical framework has been separated into three categories; Brand Image, Consumer Behaviour and Politics in Fashion, which sums up in a conceptual model. The model is tested in the empirical findings that were discovered through two focus groups. Consumers critical minds and high awareness of companies advertising techniques results in the conclusion that consumers demand more political effort in order to trust and accept the statement, apparently an important factor when it comes to change of brand image.