Zara's "Glocalization" Success

After reading our assigned text, I was very intrigued by the concept of “Global Brands” and this idea of “glocialization.” Successful brands have been able to globalize to a vast audience, while tailoring to local wants and needs of consumers; thus, leading to this global success. Our text states, “These two aspects of identity – the global and the local – are not contradictory. They are interdependent” (Sturken 404).

In researching this topic, I came across the world-renowned clothing store, Zara. Originally a Spanish clothing store, Zara has become a global brand known for its’ fashion-forward pieces at a reasonable price. Zara has “had had to adapt its strategies to different cultural, administrative, geographical, and economic factors. It does so through variation, focus, externalization, design, and innovative strategies” (Mathur 1). Zara alters which products are sold in stores based on the region of the retail store, depending on cultural differences.  To successfully do this, Zara not only researches the region of the consumers, but also surveys the local customers to discovery the trends and styles of the region. This way, Zara is able to successfully adapt their clothing to each country they are located in.

Zara Logo

After researching more global brand success stories, I came across a scholarly source offering more insight. This source discussed the concept of global and local initiatives, stating that when linked together seamlessly, global and local marketing strategies “enable brand managers to develop global brand strategy that will unlock their brands' full potential across countries, cultures and markets” (Gelder 1).

Mathur, Sameer. 2012. “How Zara Adapts Globally by Variation and Externalization.” Budding Markets. http://www.buddingmarkets.com/?p=354

Gelder, Sicco. 2004. “Global Brand Strategy.” Journal of Brand Management 12.1. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.rollins.edu:2048/docview/232485973/fulltextPDF/EC2F26C5FC2549F3PQ/1?accountid=13584

Bloomingdales & Social Media

While researching for my semester-long project covering Bloomingdales’ Brand Success, I came across a very interesting and eye-opening journal article titled, “The Impact of Social Media on the Fashion Industry,” written by Iris Mohr. Mohr discussed this social media impact, stating, “social media is now viewed as an opportunity to improve customer relationships and to ultimately capture a larger audience” (Mohr 3). After researching Bloomingdales use of social media, I have come to the conclusion that the company does, in fact, do this to improve customer relationships and capture a larger audience. 

Bloomingdales Twitter

Through focus groups, my thesis of Bloomingdales’ brand success was reassured. This is that Bloomingdales successfully connects with its customers through social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), therefore expanding their audience and strengthening their brand as a whole. With 305K followers on Twitter, Bloomingdales is able to connect with their audience in a matter of seconds. Mohr states that, “when WOM (word-of-mouth) travels on the Internet, it can be viral and most powerful, regardless of whether the information is good or bad” (Mohr 4). This is definitely true for Bloomindales, and luckily for them, it is always great information! Just in Bloomingdales’ past few tweets, as shown in the image to the right, they are immediately connecting with customers in San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Additionally, their Instagram page, with 281K followers, connects with audience in a light-hearted way – the way friends would connect, commenting, “Let the Netflix binge begin!” Bloomingdales is clearly on the path to success.

Bloomingdales Instagram Picture

Mohr, Iris. 2013. "The Impact of Social Media on the Fashion Industry." The Journal of Applied Business and Economics 

                 15.2. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.rollins.edu:2048/docview/1503076781?pq-origsite=summon