Several digital and marketing communication techniques exist distinctive to the sustainable segment of the fast clothing industry in the United Kingdom (UK). One of them is the detailed and comprehensive informing of the consumer base about sustainability (Costantini and Costantini, 2022). Companies practice it in their online realms, such as entity websites and social media, and in traditional marketing, specifically annual reports. The topic of sustainability and ecological production is very complex. Because of it, many communication initiatives that use this approach do not achieve their goal due to overloaded textual context and poor readability. Among other communication practices used by the UK pro-environmental apparel businesses is the inclusion of easily understandable, generic words in headings (Costantini and Costantini, 2022). “Move To Zero” is a perfect example of such a slogan (Figure 1) (Sustainability, no date, para. 1). It has a dual effect; it reassures some customers and creates distrust in others.
Online and marketing communications practices applied by the pro-ecological global apparel industry put emphasis on recognition by consumers. The use of popular social networks and cooperation with digital influencers belong to the first category (Kusa and Urminova, 2021). Collaborations with movie celebrities and famous musicians for product advertising are the second. All techniques mentioned are equally effective, and fashion businesses see these practices as traditional. Another one is the frequent use of terms related to sustainability and ecology (Kusa and Urminova, 2021). It often turns buyers off because they think they are being greenwashed.
The Macro Model of marketing communication will be utilized to critically assess UK and global consumers of sustainable social media content and their consumption patterns. In order to understand whom a sender is targeting when creating content for media, the stages of encoding and messaging must be analyzed (Keshavarz, 2018). In almost every message and piece of digital content related to sustainable products, the company wants them to be bought; it also wants to demonstrate its strong ethics, environmental awareness, and knowledge of local preferences. Nike GB uses simple and recognizable terminology and detailed information to deliver and spread the message effectively. The question arises as to who in the UK is easily attracted by simple, bright words and has the monetary resources to buy sustainable clothing, a powerful ethical stance, and enough free time to interpret messages with extensive content. The answer is adolescents and young adults of middle socio-economic status. According to experts, these age categories are most likely to buy pro-environmental products (Share of consumers, 2022). These generations were educated about local and global eco-problems since childhood.
Analyzing the audience’s decoding process of a message from a business entity allows one to identify consumer patterns. Sustainable clothing is often more expensive than a standard one, which means that British consumers are willing to pay extra for such products. According to Glover (2019), “more than half of Londoners are willing to pay more for sustainable fashion” (para. 1). Other consumption patterns include prioritization of nature, recyclability, and safety in items and their ethical production.
International buyers of Nike’s pro-environmental apparel, shoes, and accessories are slightly different from the British ones. They belong to the same stratum, the middle class (Hicks-Webster, 2021). To be more specific, it is a “higher-income socio-economic group” (Nike target market segmentation, 2022, para. 16). However, age varies between the two assessed and compared consuming populations. Global customers of sustainable products are on average older than those in the UK, with millennials and boomers as the main age groups (Salfino, 2022). They are also looking for organic, natural, ethical, and reusable clothing (Figure 2) (Salfino, 2022, para. 7). Simply put, their consumption patterns are identical to those of the British. It shows that sustainability is more than a marketing concept; it is a philosophical, social, and civilizational one.
Even big market players like Nike GB face particular challenges and challenges when using social media to promote their sustainable products and vision. Analytical methods such as SWOT make it possible to identify and list these. From a SWOT perspective, the company has weaknesses and threats that harm its digital marketing, such as sweatshop use, workplace sexual harassment rumors and associated lawsuits, a comparatively smaller marketing budget, and proven use of kangaroo skins (Gupta, 2022). The PESTLE analysis uncovers other economic, technological, and legal issues of Nike GB (Rowland, 2022). These include the volatile economies of the UK and the world, the risk of social media misuse, and the threat of growing consumer awareness of the company’s internal culture and overseas manufacturing policies. The first affects Nike GB’s online marketing budget, while the other damages its social media image.
Porter’s Five Forces reveal more challenges that Nike GB has to deal with. Among them, meeting its customer base’s price preferences and countering its major competitors’ growing aggressiveness in social media is central to the organization (MBA Skool Team, 2022). All the big fast fashion market players can promote their sustainable products, which hurt Nike GB’s profits with their lower prices as the primary promoting tool. From the viewpoints provided by RACE and SOSTAC analytical frameworks, Nike has minor trouble with reaching new buyers and marketing tactics to counter defamatory rumors. Many would-be and existing Nike customers still see them as sweatshop users.
Reference List
Costantini, J. and Costantini, K. (2022) ‘Communications on sustainability in the apparel industry: Readability of information on sustainability on apparel brands’ web sites in the United Kingdom’, Sustainability, 14(20), pp. 1-10. Web.
Glover, S. (2019) ‘Londoners willing to pay more for sustainable fashion’, Ecotextile News. Web.
Gupta, S. K. (2022) Nike SWOT 2022 | SWOT analysis of Nike. Web.
Hicks-Webster, C. (2021) To sell green products, target the middle class. Web.
Keshavarz, F. (2018) Marketing communication models. Web.
Kusa, A. and Urminova, M. (2021) ‘Innovative approaches in marketing communication in sustainable fashion business’, Proceedings of the 15th European conference on innovation and entrepreneurship, Rome, Italy. Web.
MBA Skool Team (2022) Nike Porter Five Forces analysis. Web.
Nike target market segmentation – Customer analysis & marketing goals for 2022. (2022). Web.
Rowland, C. (2022) Nike Inc. PESTEL/PESTLE analysis & recommendations. Web.
Salfino, C. (2022) ‘Guess which generation wants sustainable clothes the most?’ Sourcing Journal. Web.
Sustainability (no date). Web.