Chanel

 

Chanel goes for a clean, timeless look. The website's aesthetic choices are usually some combination of black and white, with the only color on the website being the product trying to be sold or the models wearing it. The brand image is that of an "Avant Garde” woman. The company does not use typical imagery associated with globalization, but I do think they are heavily globalized. They do not use images that can be tied to any one country or place as an attempt to appear worldly. Primarily, they are trying to fit into the lifestyle branding of "high fashion" and as such eschew catering to any one country. The exception is France. This, however, could be due to the company's origins in France as well as France's reputation as a city of high fashion. Even then the association is more in the naming or products than any French imagery (ex: flags, colors, monuments). The only imagery it uses that could typically be associated with globalization are the models of varying ethnicity. But Chanel as a lifestyle brand has paradoxically achieved something great - becoming generic. By using a time-less style of black and white, along with their simple, noticeable font and lettering that emphasizes the product, Chanel is a brand easily pictured when mentioning high fashion. The brand itself stretches itself, and reaches into a few product categories - from perfume, "haute couture", jewelry, watches, and skin care. The company tries to sell itself as something for the rich, or at least those that are trying to use it as such a status symbol. It is marketing itself to both customers and shareholders. There is a level of exclusivity on the website that helps sell Chanel's appeal. It tries to convey that this is a brand for the women who are fashion savvy, ahead of the curve, and with pockets deep enough to show it.