An examination into the effectiveness of individual fashion blogs as a digital marketing tool and their influence on consumer behavior
Citation
(2016) An examination into the effectiveness of
individual fashion blogs as a digital
marketing tool and their influence on
consumer behavior, no. 108.
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the new
phenomenon of brands using fashion blogs as promotional channels. The research
project further aimed to explore the impact of this new and innovative marketing
technique on consumer behaviour.
A mix method approach was adopted to facilitate understanding from the bloggers and
marketer perspectives on the topic while considering blog readers and measuring the
extent to which fashion bloggers affect their purchasing decisions. The study involved 6
semi-structured interviews with bloggers and community bloggers. Participants were
asked the same questions, to allow for a more coherent and consistent study,
furthermore, questions were based on the key themes extracted from the available
literature. For the quantitative data collection, a survey was conducted targeting blog
readers, with 100 completed. Data collection charts and thematic tables were used to
examine and consider the results of the study in relation to the literature.
Most of the academic literature relates to the findings although there is limited research
available on this new phenomenon. Therefore, some of the findings were not outlined
within the literature. These included the local blogging communities, successful
strategies for fashion blogs as marketing tools or the future evolution of fashion blogs as
marketing platforms.
This dissertation aimed to gain a deeper understanding of a current and innovative
marketing strategy thus, a range of recommendations will be suggested in order to
improve further studies and, in addition, to contribute to the marketing and blogging
industry.