An examination into the effectiveness of individual fashion blogs as a digital marketing tool and their influence on consumer behavior

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.