brand image | Dior vs Chanel
Products
The range of Chanel products is divided in three key areas. Some products was created by Coco Chanel and renewed by the following designers.
- Fashion :
– Haute couture and prêt-à-porter
– Accessories: handbags, shoes, glasses.
- Perfumes and cosmetics: makeup and skincare
- Jewelry and watches
There are also sports products and unclassifiable products
Logo
The Chanel logo is an interlocking double C. It is simply derived from the nickname of Gabrielle – Coco. This sign become the logo after the first openings of Chanel stores. The combination of black and white is typical for the brand.
We already know that the atmosphere of the monastery where she grew up influenced the choice of Gabrielle for these two colors. Moreover, we can notice that these colors suit perfectly with the Chanel style that we know today. The black color expresses the elegance and purity that the brand evokes. We can say that the logo perfectly represent what Coco wanted to create: a simple and a purified fashion.
Chanel values
The brand is today an emblematic brand of fashion, which keeps a lot of values of the brand equity. The brand’s values never changed and this is on of the reason of its success. The values are still the same of the beliefs of Coco Chanel.
The Chanel employees have to keep in mind the philosophy and the values of Coco Chanel. This vision makes the employees change constantly with the times and the environment.
As President Richard Collasse of Chanel Japan said, “Chanel itself is the world’s top brand of absolute luxury.” The first-class market is and will always be the market in which Chanel strives to be the best.
Having said that even if Chanel is a luxury brand, this is not a brand which is elitist. Indeed, Chanel was a brand that underprivileged Coco Chanel developed out of nothing. Although it belongs to the category of luxury brands, unlike others such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton, Chanel did not emerge as a result of the needs of royals and aristocrats.
Today, the Corporate Foundation Chanel resonates with the values and history of the house. It aims to promote the independence and well-being of women by facilitating their access to education, vocational training, employment, business creation and social networks.
Identity prism
How they communicate the brand personality ?
From a global perspective, Chanel adopted the communication codes of a luxury brand. Chanel is trying to develop a more human brand image, in maintaining an elitist tone, forced symbol of luxury brands. The spirit of their adverts is minimalist and simple. One more time we can notice the exclusive image of simplicity, minimal suggesting the lettering.
To develop communication campaigns, Chanel counts on innovation and differentiation. For example, in 1956, No. 5 is the first perfume to appear in a television commercial in the United States.
Simple, elegant and stylish, Chanel embodies the freedom of women, some idea of the quality and French way-of-life.
Chanel’s ads also highlight the know-how “home-made » products, but also the innovative aspects in materials design. In advertisements, Chanel just reminds us the existence of the product, not necessarily in showing it.
Compared to its competitors, currently Chanel conveys an elegant picture, but slightly rebellious. Its new strategy is to revisit its codes with a touch of impertinence. Chanel wants to be where we do not expect it to be especially where other fashion brands, with high activity in the cosmetics industry, are not.
A change that can be summarized by Gaspard Ulliel in the commercial male fragrance “Bleu de Chanel”: “I’m not going to be the person I’m expected to be anymore”.
The key to this mystification of Chanel products: international muses and the greatest directors. These muses are staged on different communication media.
Regarding the video clips, they are real short films whose purpose is to seduce the consumer unconsciously creating in him the need or desire for a product. In another article, we’ll see how Chanel communicates on its main fragrance: Chanel No. 5. Marilyn Monroe to Brad Pitt, Chanel made perfume become a myth with its famous celebrities.
Regarding the ads in magazines, Chanel exclusively advertises in high quality fashion related media, magazines such as Elle and Vogue.
Chanel encourages fashion magazines to publicize about their products, whether it coulb trough a recent fashion show or a description about a new fragrance. In most fashion magazines such as Vogue, Chanel products are often featured on models.
Chanel make also advertising through internet via : other variations of tv advertisement or videos (chapter) on YouTube, Chanel.com, and the Chanel blog.
Chanel created also a dedicated website for the watch « Chanel Première », and also follow the trend of the « One Page Slide ».
