Fossil is a fashion design and manufacturing company founded by two bothers in 1980’s Texas. They aptly named the company after the nickname they gave their father. When I first encountered Fossil, I thought the company catered mostly to an older clientele first and foremost because of the name and secondly because they sell classic styled clothing, watches, jewelry and bags.
While doing my research into the company’s website the first thing I saw after opening the website were two models posing on the home page with their latest line of smart watches. The models were the actor and musician KJ Apa and the musician and actress Mandy Moore. The two are better known in the younger generation and I immediately recognized them and thus payed more attention to the watches they were wearing even though I have never been a fan of smart watches which speaks to their excellent model choices.
Fossils brand is one of simple classic sophistication. They do not try to dazzle and overwhelm as most new fashion brands try to do today. Their website is clearly and simply laid out as are their outlets with no blaring pop music or advertisements dotted around the store. Fossils brand in my opinion best identifies with the one of the young professional. The simple black and white website theme and minimalist stores speak to that.
"Greater together. The words clearly sums up their brand identity, their message and their relationship to their customers and audiences"
Fossils key message to its audience is a one paragraph epitaph on their about page and it speaks to how the company works better when they work together for their customers and make them a little happier. They simply sum this all up into one sentence. Greater together. The words clearly sums up their brand identity, their message and their relationship to their customers and audiences quite well and clearly and as a customer I feel a connection to the brand unlike other companies that do not have a strong brand identity or that do not work on building and maintaining their relationship with their customers.
"I consider myself a simple man and when I first walked in to Fossil store and heard their alternative music playing on their hidden HI-FI system and their clean and simply laid out store and merchandise which catered to my style, I already knew that I wasn't going to leave their store without buying something."
I consider myself a simple man and when I first walked in to Fossil store and heard their alternative music playing on their hidden HI-FI system and their clean and simply laid out store and merchandise which catered to my style, I already knew that I wasn't going to leave their store without buying something. The same magic is captured on their site sadly without the great music. I recall while I was having my watch fitted I asked if they had their store playlist on Spotify and I was glad to hear that they did.
The storytelling on Fossils website are mainly seen in their news, blog and about pages. The writing is simple and clear, and they preach their message of stronger together by showcasing what their customers have done and their partnerships with famous people as well as other brands.
I found their news or press release section easy to navigate and understand and I found the stories interesting and relevant and even read more stories on their website than I did on the day’s news articles for they were interesting, cheerful and inspiring. Their stories were not totally newsworthy, and they were not totally self-serving. They were a good mix of both in my opinion. The writing is crisp and informal and to the point. They do not overburden their readers with too much all at once. It speaks to their spartan classic nature.
In my opinion the company’s website communication is top notch, simple, short almost poetic. I am simply enamored with their style and I do not see where they go wrong. If I had the opportunity to work with Fossil I would recommend them incorporating video on their website. Probably shot clips with their partner celebrities talking about their favorite Fossil merchandise like they do on their social media pages. I would also have short 30 second advertisements on their social media pages. The celebrities would be a good medium to spread their message to their customers and an even wider audience than they already have.