Branding Positioning in the Digital Age: A case of Balenciaga’s Digital Creative Partnerships

The luxury fashion market is one that undergoes constant changes and evolution in all aspects. Though luxury fashion was initially exclusive to royals and aristocrats, modernization has led to its accessibility to a wider audience through digital transformations. However, this process was especially accelerated since the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the luxury fashion houses primarily relied in-store interactions with their consumers, the pandemic caused drastic changes in their marketing strategies. A brand that took the opportunity to embrace the use of available digital technology is Balenciaga. In the span of one year they produced four digital works with their digital creative partners: The Simpsons, Epic Games, and MPC studio. Hence, this study investigates how Balenciaga positions themselves through digital creative partnerships during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research follows a qualitative research method using thematic content analysis of 40 textual materials to answer the research question. The findings identify that Balenciaga’s positions themselves as thinking outside the box, accessible or inclusive, and committed to their brand values. Thinking outside the box entails the brand’s experimental, modern, and unconventional nature. Accessibility refers to the brand’s bond with their consumers, which leads to their extension to new markets and consumers. The image of committed values discusses their passion to communicate issues regarding sustainability, the pompous fashion industry, and society’s homogeneity. The strategy Balenciaga uses to achieve the images is to indulge in their wide imagination. This leads to the strategy to encourage creating art in the expression. Subsequently, symbolic motivations arise which emotionally attract consumers’ interests. Lastly, establishing a clear communication about their identity and values led to Balenciaga’s positioning statements. Consistent demonstration of the identity and values further enhances the brand image. As this topic is highly understudied, this research will contribute to the development of existing literature and to the knowledge of applicability of the theories.