WBS Public Relations Founder
The
earliest historical reference to sunglasses dates back to ancient China and
Rome. The Roman Emperor Nero watched gladiator fights through polished
gems. In China, sunglasses were used in
the twelfth century, or possibly earlier. These sunglasses were made using
lenses that were flat panes of smoky quartz. They offered no corrective powers
nor did they protect from harmful UV rays, but they did protect the eyes from
glare.
In prehistoric
and historic time, various Eskimo tribes wore flattened walrus ivory “glasses,”
which meant looking through narrow slits to block harmful reflected rays of the
sun.
Modern civilization began experimenting with tinted lenses
in spectacles around 1752. It was believed that blue or green-tinted glass
could potentially correct specific vision impairments. Protection from the
sun’s rays was not a concern at this time.
Glasses tinted with yellow-amber and brown were also commonly prescribed
for people with syphilis in the nineteenth and early twentieth century because
one of the symptoms of the disease was sensitivity to light.
In the early 1900s, sunglasses
became more widespread, especially among movie stars. Famous actresses used
shades to avoid recognition by fans and paparazzi, but also because they often
had red eyes from the powerful arc lamps that were used with slow speed film
stocks.
The 1920s
and 1930s brought about the mainstream use of sunglasses. Sam Foster
introduced inexpensive mass-produced sunglasses in 1929, finding ready
consumers on the beaches of Atlantic City, N.J. Polarized sunglasses hit the
market in 1936 after Edwin H. Land experimented with making lenses using his
patented Polaroid filter. In 1938, Life magazine called sunglasses a “New fad
for wear on city streets...a favorite affectation of thousands of women all
over the U.S.” It stated that 20 million
pairs of sunglasses were sold in the United States in 1937, but estimated that
only about 25% of American wearers actually needed them to protect their eyes
The cat eye style of sunglasses swept in during the 50s,
with Marilyn Monroe notably rocking the look of the times.
The trend made its way into Breakfast
at Tiffany's in 1961,
making Audrey Hepburn and Holly Golightly style icons for
years to come.
The 1960s
also brought about the big, bold look in sunglasses. Along with
the decade’s tie-dye, flared jeans, and mod patterns came huge, bug-eyed
sunglasses in both circle and square shapes. Former First Lady and fashion icon
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was known to rock these
statement shades.
The “Flower
Child” style of sunglasses emerged in the 1970s. The laid-back vibe of the 70s included all different
kinds of sunglasses—big, plastic, wire, and even rimless frames were in style.
Fading lenses also became fashionable, as worn by Diane Keaton in Annie Hall and
Jane Fonda in Klute.
Perhaps one of the most fun decades of fashion, the
1980s, allowed women to get even louder with their glasses. Teased hair and leg
warmers went with eccentric sunglasses in colorful, plastic frames. Princess
Diana often opted for big, white sunglasses, while Molly Ringwald wore a bright
red pair in Pretty in Pink. Then in the 1990s, tiny, wire frame sunglasses
became popular, as worn by singer Britney Spears and the female
stars of sitcoms such as Friends and Seinfeld.
Today,
sunglasses remain an ever-changing, multimillion dollar industry. Including frames, sunglasses, and contact lenses, the total
industry is worth roughly $90 billion, and it is projected to hit $140 billion
by 2020. Of this market, sunglasses represent 40% of total purchases. For the sunglasses
industry, branding has been critical for success. The ability of a company
selling sunglasses to effectively market itself and articulate its value
proposition to its prospective customers is critical for sales. Branding is
often the determining factor, and it can make the difference between a
company’s success or failure. Companies that brand effectively can achieve
success and even dominance in the
industry. While branding is important for public relations and marketing and
sales for most companies, it can have a huge impact in the sunglasses industry.
In
an age of growing technology, sunglass
quality and innovation is
becoming crucial for the industry. Branding is only valuable if it maintains
the integrity of the company by only projecting true facts. Branding without
quality might help you make initial sales, but when people realize your quality
is low they will stop buying your products. Quality sunglasses need to be
durable and promote healthy vision.
Branding
is critical for sunglass companies. With so many companies providing a similar
product and value proposition, often what distinguishes one from another is the
ability to sell itself. One company dominates the industry and is able to
charge ridiculous prices for sunglasses just because their product bears a
sticker with their name. This company is a large part of why frames can cost
upwards of $500, even though the product itself costs $25 to manufacture. How
are they able to charge so much with such high margins? The answer is monopoly.
Most sunglasses are manufactured by the same company: Luxottica. Headquartered
in Italy, this company creates sunglasses and frames for Prada, Dolce &
Gabbana, Tiffany, Versace, Oakley, and a variety of other vendors.
Companies
such as Oliver Peoples, Ray Ban, and Chanel are able to charge so much for a
simple pair of sunglasses because people are buying the brand name. When people
trust a brand and see it as valuable, they will desire products with that
brand. By building a strong brand, Luxxottica has been able to expand out of
the sunglasses industry and into technology. The company now makes Google
Glass, which is expected to become increasingly popular in 2016. Currently,
over 500 million people around the globe wear glasses made by Luxottica. Brand
dominance has earned the company 80% control of major sunglasses brands, which
is part of a total $28 billion eyeglasses industry. Needless to say, the
company’s profits are tremendous. Because the company has control over so many
different chains, it is able to set whatever price it wants.
While
Luxottica owns a majority of the market, Safilo Group trails behind as a
distant second. This company holds licenses for Fendi, Celine, Dior, and Marc
Jacobs, and it earned $1.33
billion in revenue this past year, which is a mere fraction of Luxottica. On
the tail end of the spectrum are De Rigo, Marchon Eyewear, and Marcolin,
holding licenses with Calvin Klein, Chloe, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Valentino.
However, all of the other eyewear producers combined don’t add up to the
revenue that Luxuttica brings in annually.
For
the sunglasses industry, fashion is huge. The appearance of sunglasses can
greatly impact sales and revenue for the company. The style and look of the
sunglasses play a large role in whether a customer will purchase them, but
sunglasses are more than just decoration for your face. Buying proper
sunglasses can mean protecting your eyes versus the risk of sun damage. In fact, sunglasses without proper protection
can cause cataracts and skin cancer on the eyelids.
By maintaining high quality
products and consistently standing behind their brand, companies are able to
succeed in their related industries.
Given the similarity in materials and the relative simplicity of the
products, brand marketing has an enormous impact on consumer evaluation of the
products. Learning from this, we must know how to emphasize our own company
brands, in order to use them as tools to gain new clients.
Brunson
Stafford is the Founder And CEO / Director of Public Relations at WBS.
Please visit Brunson
Stafford on his websites, or social media
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