Do fashion brands need Facebook?

Facebook being one of the social media sites with the highest traffic worldwide, I was curious to learn how strongly fashion companies are using the site within their online marketing strategies. According to Mediapost.com, fashion brands need Facebook, as it provides fashion companies a unique environment that is more powerful than traditional marketing. As also discussed by Mike Moran in his book ‘Do it wrong quickly’, Web marketing through social media allows customers to segment themselves based on their needs which he calls marketing personalization. And Facebook is a great example for this.

But to what extend do fashion companies need Facebook? I think fashion companies should not rely too heavily on sites such as Facebook, as it cannot replace traditional media. However, it is important to not underestimate the importance of having a facebook presence. Marketers need to consider this channel as a messaging opportunity next to other channels leveraging the fact that their customers have deliberately decided to become a fan of their favorite brand.

Pink, a Victoria's Secret Brand, is a great example how an apparel retailer can use Facebook effectively to reach a specific segment. Pink was able to attract almost 1.5 million fans by uploading for example fun videos about two guys travelling around USA. Some of them are really funny and definitely worth watching: