Part 2. Clothing for humans is a protective second skin, but the meaning behind what we choose to wear is dictated by a variety of reasons. We communicate something personal about ourselves through our clothing. In the contemporary world of fast fashion, colors and textures of fabrics used for clothing are predetermined in the design and development process, which gives an illusion of choice within an established paradigm. The ultimate choice worth considering for consumers in developed countries is between ignoring the implications of fast fashion offerings and buying them regardless or opting for alternative-produced clothing that addresses the social and environmental needs of the world.
It is no longer just traditional marketing and merchandising that is affecting consumer behavior and infiltrating psychological cues, now fashion “influencers” have a role to play in soliciting excessive shopping habits. Traditional advertising incorporates color theory and plays into consumers' emotions to influence, inform, and persuade people to buy products and services. Social media influence is now a driving force in industry sales by endorsing products and services. “Instagram is a platform that is based on visual aesthetics and filtered images, which makes it a suitable ecosystem for promoting beauty products, popularizing certain body images, and advocating luxurious lifestyles and prominent luxury brands” (Jin, Muqaddam, Ryu 2019). Social media influencers are individuals who have earned credibility across social platforms like Instagram. These influencers represent a lifestyle their followers wish to achieve, and clothing is a significant part of that image.
Prior to the existence of Instagram influencers companies have long made use of celebrities as the faces of their products. A study published in Marketing Intelligence and Planning examined the trustworthiness of social media influencers to traditional celebrities in advertisements to determine which of the two types of influences is perceived as more trustworthy.(2) The findings show social media influencers are an effective branding tool. Social media influencers use platforms like YouTube to unbox products and show off shopping spree items to their followers, perpetuating hyper-consumerism. These platforms reach a wide array of audiences across the internet. Fashion brands have tapped into these social media personalities to display their products and appeal to their audience. Social media users are intentionally targeted with advertising that has been selected based on the user’s profile analytics and algorithms. Consumers are manipulated by visual advertising more now than ever before.
Jin, S. Venus, Aziz Muqaddam, and Ehri Ryu. “Instafamous and Social Media Influencer Marketing.” Marketing Intelligence & Planning 37, no. 5 (2019): 567–79. https://doi.org/10.1108/mip-09-2018-0375.
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