EOC: Excercise Ch. 2

Trace the history of the fashion brand Burberry. Examine its ads today and those from past campaigns. What are the differences? Has the target market changed? Did this fashion company follow its target market clients as they aged? Back up your research with clear examples.



















Burberry was founded in 1856. The man behind the brand was called Thomas Burberry. He was English and therefore lived in England. He opened his first store in Basingstoke (England).

In 1860 the brand (known as Burberry) became very well known and in some cases even called an “emporium”. Burberry focused on outdoor wear, often for local residents. But also for sportsmen, the brand Burberry was at the time popular among sportsmen, although today the brand is known and seen in a different way. The owner back then was of course Thomas Burberry. But today it’s far more complicated than that. There’s not just one person being the owner, there isn’t even two, it’s actually different companies that own their own part of the brand. The majority owner of Burberry is GUS (Great Universal Stores). It’s a British company that also owns the Argos stores.

Since the beginning of the new millennium “no drastic changes have occurred.” New stores have opened around the world, new fragrances are often released by the brand and it has a much wider collection, although they are still trying to keep that old typical English style.

“London-based Burberry is plugging its typically stylish fall/winter 2010 collection with a new digital campaign that's centered on a new website where visitors can use their mouse to manipulate several images and videos featuring Blue Steel-faced models and their new Burberry gear.”

In a statement, Burberry's chief creative officer Christopher Bailey describes the campaign like this:
"This campaign protects our authentic and timeless heritage and evolves the modern way in which we communicate that. The Burberry campaigns have always been characterized by the dynamic British cast and I wanted to express the individuality and the energy behind each of their different creative expressions. Burberry was founded on innovation and outerwear and I want anyone who sees the campaign not just to see images, but to feel a part of what we have created; connecting people through technology, music, the collections, the attitude, and the emotion captured."