"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

When well-known brands decide to undergo any sort of rebranding exercise, from new formulations to new logos and taglines, the press and the public tend to have newsworthy opinions. Whether the conversation is erupting with praise in agreement or latent with despise, it is unlikely that any such change would go unnoticed. However, the same likely can’t be said for the rebranding of parent companies.

On September 23, 2020, The J.M. Smuckers Co. distributed a press release announcing its rebranding from the over 130 year old corporate identity, modeled after its flagship brand, Smuckers Jams. Showcasing a reimagined new logo, visual vocabulary and truncated name, The J.M. Smucker Co.’s new look aims to remind consumers and stakeholders alike that they are more than just jams and jellies (Hiebert, 2020). But how important is the parent company’s branding?

Aside from its jams, The J.M. Smuckers Co. is also home to well-known brands like Folgers, JIF, Meow Mix and Milk-Bone. I would wager to bet that the average consumer would never expect any connection between these brands, even at a corporate level. Another lesser known CPG parent company, but even more tenured, is Church & Dwight Co., Inc., which includes Arm & Hammer, OxiClean, Trojan and Vitafusion to name a few pillar brands. Although both companies showcase popular brands within their portfolios, neither seem to be overt in advertising their company image.  

On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson proactively markets their company-wide branding by ending most of their advertisements with, “Johnson & Johnson. A family company.” With brands like Neutrogena, Tylenol and Band-aid under their belts, the largely personal care and medical supply company has continued to shape its identity around their signature tagline.

Procter & Gamble [P&G], known recently as the world’s biggest advertiser, bolsters it’s branding with corporate advertising that addresses cultural and societal issues backed by healthy media buy budgets. Ahead of its time, P&G launched the TV commercial “The Talk” back in 2017, addressing black bias in an emotional and evocative 60 seconds. P&G, home to brands such as Tide, Gillette, Febreeze, Vicks and so many more, over their nearly two centuries in business, aims to align all their brands with their corporate brand beliefs.

As apparent when diving deeper, all four industry leading parent companies maintain a collective brand image, across their entirety. Interestingly, all four companies fall categorically within Jennifer Aaker’s definition of the brand personality trait of sincerity (Deshpandé & Keitnan, 2014). Largely thanks to each establishment’s deep seated beliefs and activation with their individual corporate social responsibilities from commitments of sustainability to equality and more, these company’s efforts help shape their global brand images and architectures.

But the real question is, what comes first – the parent company’s branding or the individual brand’s identities? One could argue that a parent company’s branding is shaped by the collection of their individual brand’s identities. On the other hand, someone could counter that individual brand’s identities are molded from the parent company’s brand equity. Perhaps the answer is a culmination of both arguments. Either way the answer is clear – the parent company’s branding is equally as important as individual brands, whether you know their name or not.

References

Church & Dwight Co., Inc.. (2020). Company Overview. https://churchdwight.com/company/

Deshpandé, R. & Keinan, A. (2014). Brands and Brand Equity. Harvard Business Publishing Education.

Hiebert, P. (2020, September 23). The J.M. Smucker Company Goes Beyond Jam With Its New Corporate Identity. Adweek. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/j-m-smucker-company-goes-beyond-jam-with-new-corporate-identity/?utm_content=adoftheday&utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FirstThingsFirst_Newsletter_200924054606&lyt_id=1214141

Johnson & Johnson. (2020). About Johnson & Johnson. https://www.jnj.com/about-jnj

Procter & Gamble. (2020). Who We Are. https://us.pg.com/who-we-are/

The J.M. Smucker Co. (2020). News & Stories. https://www.jmsmucker.com/news-stories

My friend lost his job. He had a family including an eight-year-old daughter with cancer so he needed income. He did the noble thing: started reaching out to his network, updated his resume, searched for job requisitions, tailored his application to different opportunities, and interviewed. He’s a people person with some great skills so it didn’t take him long to land a job … one for which he was completely unqualified. He had misrepresented his experience on his application, studied like mad to try to get up to speed, faked his way through the interview process, and figured he could pick up the rest of what he needed to know once he was on the job, if anyone was confident enough to hire him.

Personal branding is so much more than a resume and an interview. It involves bringing oneself into full alignment and then marketing oneself (Deshpandé & Keinan, 2019). It has been shown to have a strong positive association with success in career (Gorbatov, Khapova, & Lysova, 2019). Everyone has a personal brand, intentional or not (Castrillon, 2019), which can be affected by everything you do (lewsauder, 2017). Like it or not, “personal branding is pervasive and likely here to stay” (Deshpandé & Keinan, 2019), and it has never been more important due to recruiters’ use of social media and the benefits employers gain from their employees’ branding (Castrillon, 2019). Now is a great time to focus on your own personal brand because economic uncertainty is actually a certainty. In this time, you can either embrace or voluntarily succumb to documenting your personal brand, or you can wait until your hand is forced due to economic turmoil (Lair, Sullivan, & Cheney, 2004).

But the jury is out on whether personal branding should be realistic or aspirational. Erskine (20) states that honesty and authenticity are necessary. Kalson-Sperandio (2019) asserts that “the best personal brands reflect the authentic you — not a 180-degree diversion from it” (para. 8). Gasca (2016) states “being dishonest … leads you down the road of living a lie, which can create an inconsistent message to others and leaves you vulnerable” (para. 10). On the other hand, Bilanich (2008) contends that personal branding involves “deciding how you want people to think about you, and then doing whatever it takes to get them to think this way” (para. 2) as long as you’re working to grow in the aspirational areas.

My friend has now been at his job for three years and has risen to every challenge because he’s resourceful. Do you consider his actions in obtaining his position unethical? Where do you draw the line of ethically aspirational versus unethical? How do your own personal branding actions stack up?

References

Bilanich, B. (2018, July 1). Authenticity, aspiration and your personal brand. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/911739/authenticity-aspiration-and-your-personal-brand

Castrillon, C. (2019, February 12). Why personal branding is more important than ever. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2019/02/12/why-personal-branding-is-more-important-than-ever/#11040bdf2408

Deshpandé, R. & Keinan, A. (2019, December 19). Brands and brand equity. Harvard Business Review, 1-49. Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/

Erskine, R. (2016, July 7). How to define your personal brand in 5 simple steps. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/278480

Gasca, P. (2016, April 7). A strong personal brand will enhance your life, no matter what you do for a living. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/273589

Gorbatov, S., Khapova, S. N., & Lysova, E. I. (2019). Get noticed to get ahead: The impact of personal branding on career success. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-13. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02662

Kalson-Sperandio, A. (2019, May 30). Aspirational personal branding shouldn’t be a thing. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@aryn_45770/aspirational-personal-branding-shouldnt-be-a-thing-9e546843e168

Lair, D. J., Sullivan, K., & Cheney, G. (2004). Marketization and the recasting of the professional self: The rhetoric and ethics of personal branding. Management Communication Quarterly, 18, 307-343. DOI: 10.1177/0893318904270744

lewsauder. (2017, November 24). Ethics of personal branding. Retrieved from http://blog.consulting101book.com/personal-branding/

To say the least, COVID-19 has created chaos amongst many organizations across the globe. While many small businesses have become a victim of this worldwide pandemic, other businesses have managed to thrive. For companies like Amazon, Instacart, Peleton, Zoom, and many others, business has been going strong. But, some restaurants, bars, and travel companies have been hit hard. Making the adjustment during a global pandemic isn’t easy, yet, over time many organizations have learned how to adapt. 

It’s obvious why companies like Peleton and Zoom are doing well. With everyone working from home and finding ways to be active inside, it was inevitable that companies like this would be in such high demand. But what about the companies that weren’t benefiting from the pandemic? What did they do to stand out? By now, most organizations have adjusted, but some companies adapted their marketing and frankly just got it right. Here are three companies who nailed it:

1. Apple: Creativity goes on 

We all know how innovative Apple’s marketing is, but connecting and inspiring consumers during trying times is difficult to do. Yet, Apple managed to execute this campaign perfectly. Their motivating campaign showcased what creatives were doing across the globe to stay connected and keep their creative juices flowing. They also created the #TheAtHomeSeries for users to post their best at home photos to keep users involved in the Apple community. 

2. Nike: Play for the world campaign

Millions of athletes across the globe were affected by COVID when they no longer could do the sport they loved in a regular setting. Nike took a stance on the importance of social distancing and inspired athletes to stay home and practice their sport from home. It showed all of the aspiring athletes that now was their chance to “play for the world.” The ad featured professional athletes such as Lebron James, along with many others. It even featured average people who showcased their creativity with at home workouts. This created a sense of comfort and relatability during trying times.

3. Heineken: #BacktotheBars 

Heinekens #BacktotheBars campaign was a more recent ad that came out to stress the importance of being responsible as bars and restaurants begin to open. It shows the awkward reality of running into people and not knowing how to greet them, the limited seating in order to social distance, and the stress of washing your hands multiple times in a public setting. The ad does an excellent job at pinpointing what everyone in the world is currently dealing with and emphasizes the importance of being socially responsible in order to keep bars and restaurants open. 

Dealing with COVID is new to everyone around the globe. But it doesn’t mean that we no longer can be creative with our marketing strategies. How would you adjust if you were in charge of a marketing campaign during a pandemic? 

References:

Shaw, K. (10 April, 2020). Best ad of the day: Nike ‘play for the world’ via Wieden + Kennedy Portland. Campaign Brief. Retrieved from https://campaignbrief.com/best-ad-of-the-day-2/

No words are needed to convey the powerful icon, legacy and reform Ruth Bader Ginsburg left behind with us last week. After a tenure of 27 years on the supreme court, we have her to thank for advancing women’s rights and pay in the workplace, the right to marry anyone regardless of sex, the ability to get an abortion, equal social security survivor benefits and women’s access to credit cards and a mortgage (Pinsker, 2020).

The collar, however, remains a pop-culture icon; they are buyable in jewelry, clothing and costume form (Friedman, 2020). Each one in her collection was meant to symbolize an opinion; the yellow jabot in agreement for majority opinion and the famous collar with the spiked beading for dissent, among many others (Foussianes, 2020). What started as a celebration of femininity within a male dominated court, her approach to communicating equality under the law has taken on a more wide, marketable symbol. Each collar took on its own meaning and message before Justice Ginsburg even spoke (Friedman, 2020), ushering a new level to personal and therefore, political branding. Since political branding via imagery, symbols and mass communication fosters trust in constituencies who vote, it’s imperative that these symbols be transparent and tell a powerful story (Edelman, 1964). The symbol can therefore sway public opinion and as a result, change voters’ decisions.

The dissent collar in necklace form is currently buyable on Banana Republic’s website, with 50% of the proceeds going to the ACLU Women’s Rights Projects. Citizens wore versions of the collar during multiple women’s marches across the country (Tschorn, 2020). In 2018 when the documentary about her life came out, the poster revealed just a clip of her portrait and the yellow collar to match her initials: RBG. After the 2016 election results, RBG was seen wearing her dissent collar even though there were no hearings that day. The powerful message behind such a popular symbol has taken on a life of its own. Just like the pink hats during women’s marches, an upright fist to symbolize the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBT symbols like the rainbow flag, a group will rally behind their symbol in solidarity for their ideologies. It’s a simple way to communicate a powerful message.

Deshpande & Keinan (2014) discuss six criteria for brand elements such as a logo, slogan or symbol. They should be memorable, meaningful, likeable, transferable, adaptable and protectable (Deshpande & Keinan, 2014). The collars are certainly memorable and carry heavy meaning behind each one. They are transferable and adaptable to fit the message RBG wanted to articulate. Worldwide, everyone knows what the collar stands for; this identification proves the collar’s usefulness as a tool to reflect change, justice, and shifts in social and collective thought as America struggles with her own identity.

The question begs, however, where will the symbol go from here? Will RBG’s laced logo remain in history as a statement of our times, much like the peace symbol during the Vietnam war or Rosie the Riveter during WWII? Or will the collar grow beyond current events and evolve, becoming a rallying call for collective action as we race towards election day and change our path of history?

References:

Deshpande, R., & Keinan, A. (2014). Brand and Brand Equity. Harvard Business Review.

Edelman, M. (1964). The Symbolic Uses of Politics. Illinois: Illinois University Press.

Foussianes, C. (2020, Sep 19). Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Collars Decoded: What Each Neckpiece Means. Town and Country Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a25362496/ruth-bader-ginsburg-collar-meaning/

Friedman, V. (2020, Sep 20). Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Lace Collar Wasn’t an Accessory, It Was a Gauntlet. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/style/rbg-style.html

Pinsker, J. (2020, Sep 23). RBG’s Fingerprints Are All Over Your Everyday Life. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/09/ruth-bader-ginsburg-legacy/616447/

Tschorn, A. (2020, Sep 23). Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s coded collars taught us that the little things matter. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-09-23/life-lessons-ruth-bader-ginsburg-collars

It is 7:55 a.m. on a Monday, and not a cloud is on the horizon; it is another beautiful sunny California day.  As Tony prepares for his first-period English class, he decides to play a quick game of Battlefront on his Xbox.  Why not?  It is not like I’m at school, he thinks to himself. Suddenly, Tony’s mom yells from the kitchen, ordering him to get off that game.  Tony’s dreading another boring day of virtual schooling simply because he cannot keep up with the rest of his classmates.

Today, the new normal is learning to apply an effective education online for the K-12 student body in California, but there are many gaps related to students with learning disabilities.  California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in July 2020, addressing five critical areas related to the pandemic pertaining to online distance learning (California Gov., 2020).  Governor Newsom is also proposing billions in budget cut, further dwarfing support for public schools throughout California. Newsom also wants to defer $76 billion in K-14 funding, taking from the $81 billion he allocated in the budget he signed last year (Morrar, 2020). However, Newsome press office announced on July 2020 they enacted a budget that will provide $5.3 billion in additional funding to support learning, and set requirements to ensure schools provide rigorous and grade-appropriate instruction “Learning is non-negotiable,” said Governor Newsom (California Gov., 2020).  “The virus will be with us for a year or more, and school districts must provide meaningful instruction during this pandemic.  In California, determine when schools can be physically open and close – but learning should never stop. Students, staff, and parents all prefer in-classroom instruction, but only if it can be done safely” (Morrar & California Gov., 2020).

K–12 students who are on the spectrum or have ADHD and other learning challenges are not keeping up with their virtual schooling. Many parents believe a home-schooling environment does not work for special education students and some IEP teachers agree.  Public schools in California, such as Creative Performance Media Arts (CPMA), a magnet middle school in San Diego, California, are depending on Google Classroom for all their students, which also includes special education students (CPMA Press Release, 2020).  Unfortunately, there is no distinction between the mainstream teaching and IEP (Individualized Educational Program) in the virtual learning curriculum, which present a serious problem towards the academic developments of these special education students.  Like Tony, many students will fall behind, simply because they cannot keep up with the instruction. Mary Moreno, the parent of a 13-year-old IEP student, says that online classes are not working for her daughter with ADD.  “She simply can’t keep up,” stated Moreno.  “Next year, my daughter will be going to high school, and I am afraid that she is not going to be equipped to keep up in high school” (Interview, 2020)

California school districts, including the Los Angeles Unified School District (L.A.U.S.D.), is the ^second largest in the nation.  That said, L.A.U.S.D and San Diego Unified School District (S.D.U.S.D.) does not currently have a platform addressing the needs of students with learning disabilities.  Over 54 percent of students with IEPs, or 2.3 million leaning-disabled students, are in the program statewide.  Statistically, the learning-disabled category is the most extensively covered in special education for the California K–12 program. However, their IEP curriculum has come to abrupt stop due to COVID-19 (Ca Dept of Education, 2020).

Heather Bennett, an occupational therapist for special need students, states that the IEP issue has not been addressed or resolved entirely for the 2020–2021 for S.D.U.S.D. academic year (Interview, 2020).  Many teachers who work with IEP students believe that the best method of making progress is interfacing rather than ZOOM.  However, for the moment, the district will not allow face to face teaching for liability purposes (Johnson, 2020).  Also, incoming students in all grade levels will not be adequately tested because such testing is not available online to make assessment with potential IEP students.  Consequently, many students will be participating in an academic environment without accurately being diagnosed with a learning disability. A third of California’s IEP students receive developmental support and screening and are below the average rate for disabled students attending regular classrooms (CA Dept of Education, 2020).  Much of this problem stems from a shortage of special education teachers; general education teachers feel that they are not prepared to serve unique student needs during normal circumstances.  With the online platform, most teachers, both mainstream and special education, will struggle with their IEP students as they endeavor to tackle these academic roadblocks (CA Dept of Education & Johnson, 2020).

One in eight K–12 students receive an IEP, but California has always fallen short of serving these students effectively (CA Dept of Education, 2020).  Funding has not kept up with district costs, dedicated to IEP resources, according to the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE, 2020).  Now, with virtual schooling, IEP students will fall even further behind and perhaps regress and further behind, without the support of their IEP instruction.  According to The Washington Post, in addition to losing out on current teaching, many parents are concerned that their children will regress and lose the skill sets they have already acquired (Howerton, 2020).

The battleground to overcome learning disabilities will be taking place at the student’s home with little to no support from the states and school. The immediate crisis is the pandemic, but how will we measure the life skills and setbacks for these children with special education needs? Perhaps, the answer is as simple as individualizing these virtual settings.

                                                            References

Arnold, L. (2016, February 21). Collecting Attorney… Retrieved from https://www.californiaspecialedlaw.com/important-case-decisions/collecting-attorney-fees/

California Govener Newsom. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://www.gov.ca.gov/

Distance Learning – Curriculum and Instruction Resources (CA Dept of Education). (n.d.-a). Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/dl/index.asp

Distance Learning – Curriculum and Instruction Resources (CA Dept of Education). (n.d.-b). Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/dl/index.asp

Interview with Mary Moreno (IEP Parent). (2020, September). Retrieved from https://Wikipedia.com

Johnson, S. (2020, June 26). California schools must provide daily live interaction, access to technology this fall. Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://edsource.org/2020/california-schools-must-provide-daily-live-interaction-access-to-technology-this-fall/634452

Phone Interview. (2020, September). Interview with Heather Bennet. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interview

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) | Policy Analysis for California Education. (2020, September 10). Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://edpolicyinca.org/

Report: Special education in California an “urgent priority.” (2020, February 18). Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.educationdive.com/news/report-special-education-in-california-an-urgent-priority/572410/

Sacramento Bee (Daily News). (2020, May 15). California schools to lose billions of dollars in Newsom’s budget. It could have been worse. Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article242743796.html

Team, T. U. (2020, April 17). What Is an IEP? Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps/what-is-an-iep

The Washington Post. (2020, August 20). This is our season of coaching our children through disappointment. Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?next_url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtonpost.com%2flifestyle%2f2020%2f08%2f20%2fthis-is-our-season-coaching-our-children-through-disappointment%2f

This land is your land. This land is my land. From the American dream, to the endless nightmares. This land wasn’t made for you and me.

For Dreamers under the Trump administration, 2020 has been one long nightmare after another– and they’re not waking up anytime soon. Over the last few years, the Trump administration has been targetting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by removing policies meant to protect Dreamers. Most recently, the administration has decided to reject all new DACA applications as of July 2020. They have also decreased the window for current Dreamers to renew their status from two years to one year. The decision was made after the Supreme Court rejected the administration’s plan to eliminate DACA altogether. Reducing the renewal time gives the Trump administration enough time to review the legality of the DACA program. The aim is to find a legal way to ultimately end the program, which will drastically affect the lives of more than 700,000 people. It is unfair and cruel to continue making the lives of Dreamers harder than it already is. This is the only country they have ever known. They do not know of their homeland, the customs, culture, and often times, even their own native language. The United States has always been home, yet they are treated as strangers and criminals by the law. They live in constant fear of deportation to a country they do not know, and perhaps never will. Fortunately for Dreamers, the future isn’t entirely bleak. A bill is being passed called the Dream and Promise Act that would protect Dreamers and give them a path towards permanent residency. It is not a path towards citizenship, but it is a path towards security and stability. At the moment, it waits for Senator Romney and Lee to pass it in the senate for it to go onto the next phase. Until then, Dreamers wait anxiously and in fear. Those of us that can, should work to continue to protect them especially in this political climate.

To my Dreamers: you were raised here, you were educated here, you pay taxes here, fall in love here, get married here, have your families, and raise your children here. Many of you have even served, fought, and died for this country. You are, in my opinion, as American as I am.

As far as I know, this land is my land. This land is your land. From your homeland, to the American highlands. This land was made for you and me.

https://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/This_Land.htm

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/8/4/21349669/daca-dreamers-supreme-court-immigration-utah-legislature

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/28/daca-renewals-trump-dreamers-384504

“Not another celebrity makeup brand,” echoed the beauty content creators and consumers of

The long-awaited new Disney live-action remake of Mulan has flopped in the Chinese market, partially due to its murky political association with local government departments carrying out genocides in Xinjiang. However, in terms of marketing communication in general, I think they did a great job at using nostalgia to harness shared feelings with the audience. What’s more, research has suggested that nostalgia is effective at bringing positive emotions, which is especially significant during depressing times of COVID-19 pandemic (Rahman-Jones, 2020).

Nostalgia has always been one of Disney’s most powerful marketing strategies, repeatedly tapping emotionally into people’s lives and establishing a loyal future consumer base at the same time. In this case, the live-action Mulan features a slightly different story, taking out most of the original’s heartwarming, comedic components. There are no more songs and no more Mushu or Cri-Kee the cricket. Even so, the film still consists of significant components of the 1998 animated Mulan.

In most of the trailers, Disney doesn’t forget to feature an orchestral version of “Reflection,” the line “I’ll make a man out of every single one of you” from the original song “I’ll make a man out of you,” the tagline “loyal, brave, and true,” etc. Most recently, on Instagram, Disney released a special edition of the trailer for Disney+ on September 10, which features a montage and side-by-side edits of animated and live-action Mulan. This trailer definitely revitalized my nostalgic memories of watching the 1998 animated Mulan.

What can nostalgia do in turbulent times like this? According to Dr. Wijnand van Tilburg, a psychology professor at the University of Essex, nostalgia not only helps comfort anyone who is feeling lonely, sad, and bored by immersing one in a familiar world but also enhances the social connection between people (Rahman-Jones, 2020). For example, during times of COVID-19 uncertainty, nostalgia can bring individuals back in time to relive certain emotions, and parents who feel distant from their children can close that gap by sharing the same nostalgic experiences.

So, nostalgia may be an effective marketing strategy. But with increasing sequels and remakes in the market, should Disney be making more originals to attract new customers? Especially with Disney, some audiences are concerned with the amount of live-action remake films Disney is making in recent years, thus losing “freshness” in their content. Following Aladdin, The Lion King, and Mulan, Disney has announced to release nine more live-action remake films within the next three years.

In my opinion, one of the reasons behind this decision might be rooted in the ever-changing consumer interests in the film/tv market. Nobody knows what will work or what will not. However, film industries will often refer to what they know has worked in the past to reduce uncertainty. By producing remakes, Disney can secure a specific target audience, and that is Disney fans. It’s smart that Disney is making remakes and appealing to nostalgia, but there’s also some part of me that is looking forward to more original/ new stories that can bring the audience into a new world.

Sources:

Rahman-Jones, I. (2020, September 3). Mulan: Disney remakes and the power of nostalgia during coronavirus. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-47696220

Should clothing brands have the obligation to take into consideration the environmental impact of fabric waste?

Sustainable design creates limitations in the design realm, which creates a better avenue for creative development. When you create limitations in design, it challenges the designers within those perimeters – to think outside of the box. A good example of this is the creation of the two-piece swimsuit aka bikini. During World War II, fabric was being rationed to help the war effort and designers removed the mid section and the attached skirt panels to create the newly designed swimsuit. In 1946 two French designers created new prototypes of the bikini. Jacques Heim called his design “the atom” and advertised it as “the worlds smallest bathing suit”. Louis Réard swimsuit was only 30 inches of fabric and promoted his creation as “smaller than the worlds smallest bathing suit”. Today, the bikini is a staple in almost every woman’s summer wardrobe.

Sustainable consumption is defined as “the use of products and services in a way that minimizes the impact on the environment”. Sustainability considers human needs not only for today but for future generations. As a consumer of fast fashion – which is considered multiple collections in one fashion season – I have contributed to the impact of consumption to waste at a rapid rate. When clothing is sustainable, it helps the environment by reducing waste in landfills. Consumers that buy from sustainable designers become more conscious about the environment and about becoming more sustainable. By utilizing resources that recycle clothing brands you are lessening the fashion waste impact.

When large companies are considered sustainable, they reduce the impact of waste. Adidas has promised to create 15-20 million pairs of shoes from recycled ocean plastic in 2020 known as “Primeblue”. They promote their campaign “Primegreen” made with recycled material that do not use virgin polyester. Levi’s has also made commitments to sustainable denim production; by 2020, Levi’s has aimed to reduce water use by 80 percent. They also have a denim recycle program, in which consumers can donate their denim products and Levi’s will recycle those denim products to create new designs. To become more sustainable, some designers will take clothing reminents and repurpose them into new garments which makes them one-of-a-kind. These one-of-a-kind garments can be sold at a higher price in correlation to stimulating the economy .

These companies have become more conscience of fabric waste and its contributions to landfills, because in the past they have been such a big contributor to environmental issues. These big companies have become aware of their impact on waste and are now trying to reverse their waste output. More companies are becoming sustainable conscious and more consumers are following the environmental friendly trend. Do you feel that we as consumers need to be just as aware of fabric waste as these big companies and brands are?

Adidas. (n.d.). https://www.adidas.com/us/sustainability

History.com Editors. (2010, March 3). Bikini introduced. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bikini-introduced

How ethical is Levi’s? (2020, June 30). Good On You. https://goodonyou.eco/levis-ethical/

Sustainable consumption: definition and complexities. https://study.com/academy/lesson/sustainable-consumption-definition-and-complexities.html