How Mills’ Marketing is Changing
During COVID-19, denim mills are facing a two-fold challenge when it comes to marketing. Between budget cuts for promotional activities and the lack of in-person events and meetings, companies are having to adapt and find new ways of reaching their customers.
Carved in Blue brought together executives from four mills for a discussion on the state of marketing in the industry. Moderator Tricia Carey, director of business development for Lenzing, noted that while a recession may motivate mills to scale back spending on advertising, companies that raise their marketing budgets during an economic downturn recover three times faster than their peers.
The pandemic has forced mills to dramatically change how they handle client interactions.
“We all travel a ton, we’re all with our customers, and one of the number one marketing things we can do is be with your customer, be at dinner with them, show them the product,” said Mark Ix from Advance Denim. “But now you’re really having to be more visible and be online, social media, Zoom calls. So you’re really having to shift how you get that message across.”
As part of its pandemic response, Orta has launched a kit for prospective buyers that mixes physical swatches with digital touches such as QR codes. The mill has also been leaning into customization, creating packages for brands that include videos and label designs tailored to their needs.
“Today’s marketing can be assumed as the most customized marketing ever,” said Zennure Danisman from Orta Anadolu. “Earlier we were creating market-based solutions, market-based campaigns, but today it is not enough. We are almost creating customer-based, personal-based marketing stuff.”
Along with personalization, marketing has become more human and personal.
In recent months, Cone Denim has altered its messaging to reflect its customers’ changing priorities. Recognizing that its customers may be less focused on environmental sustainability than on social and health issues, the mill made face masks, launched Cone Community Pride Selvedge and turned to creative video presentations. For instance, during Kingpins, the company hosted a dance break and filmed its own take on John Krasinski’s “Some Good News.”
While mills have typically marketed more to B2B clients than consumers, this is changing as denim producers work to build a relationship and awareness among end consumers. Since shoppers drive demand for new fabrications, having that presence could mean gaining support for less impactful denim.
It budget was out of the picture, Zennure would like to create an engaging marketing campaign targeting Gen Z that leverages AR, VR and gamification. Meanwhile, Henry Wong from AGI Denim would like to co-sponsor some of his clients’ marketing campaigns to get impressions from consumers.
“As a supplier, we invest a lot into technologies that lower denim’s environmental impact, but in the end it’s the consumer decision to prefer those products—let’s call it the demand—that drives suppliers to keep being incentivized to supply more responsibly made products,” Henry said.
Whether a mill is searching for design or marketing inspiration, sometimes the best ideas come from the past. According to Mark, denim mills can take a page from Cotton Inc.’s playbook in marketing a B2B product to the end consumer. Dating back decades, the organization’s Fabric of Our Lives tagline has made an impact. In another consumer-facing move, Cone marketed its Deeptone Denim directly to customers starting in the 1930s.
Kara Nicholas from Cone Denim and Elevate Textiles, noted that her company is actively working to share stories with its brand partners that can then be passed on to their customers.
“The end consumer is more informed today,” said Kara. “They care about how things are made, the ingredients that are used, so as mills, we partner with the brands to help them tell their story to the end consumer.”
Watch the full discussion below.