The Success of Fashion Bloggers - Research Paper Example

? The Success of Fashion Bloggers. Are they really becoming Fashion Dictators? BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE HERE The Success of Fashion Bloggers. Are they really becoming Fashion Dictators? Introduction Influencing consumer power requires developed brand attributes that can be associated with higher profitability, gaining market interest and establishing a well-known name that is recalled by the buyer. This is one of the fundamentals of business for an organization that has developed interesting, exciting or other dimensions of buyer needs that are represented by brand identity or personality. In essence, the fashion blogger fits the marketing profile of an individual or company that has built a brand identity which leads consumers to remain devoted to the fashion blogging entity. This essay says, “entity” with a certain amount of realism, considering that fashion blogging is, first, a relatively new phenomenon in a world of growth in social media “Entity” represents independent sources of consumer information about relevant lifestyle products, trends, interesting combinations, colors, or other appropriate attitudes about fashion. The difficulty in establishing whether fashion blogging has become dictatorial is determining the volume of individuals that are drawn toward a particular “entity” working outside of trusted business brands. Does the fashion blogger have the ability to influence consumer behavior? To what level is the influence of the fashion blogger with consumer engagement to provide perceived relevant information? Is there trust in the “entity” to provide a brand-identified set of credentials that outperforms traditional advertisement and promotion? To understand whether dictatorship is a satisfying term for the fashion blogger is questionable, though there is adequate interest in fashion blogging which is supported by volume and web presence. Are they dictators? The evidence would suggest otherwise, but also discredits the notion of significant fashion blogging success for the high volumes of fashion bloggers currently on the Internet. It should be concluded that fashion bloggers maintain tremendous opportunities to gain consumer dedication, with subsequent support that fashion bloggers maintain certain inherent characteristics that seem to have no place in genuine business practice. Explaining Discrepancies in Blogging Success Constance White, a former fashion writer and the Style Director for E-Bay, clearly states, “Fashion used to be very dictatorial. Everybody’s a fashion critic. Everyone can comment on whether Reese Witherspoon should have worn the same dress that Kirsten Dunst wore before” (Corcoran, 2006, p.1). Not just anyone can achieve high success with their own, independent fashion blog due to the overwhelming volume of consumer noise providing complex and differing opinion on fashion products. A respected fashion journalist, Mrs. White seems to imply tastelessness for these commentaries, leaving consumers to have to filter out the noise to find respected fashion advice. Entwistle (2005) describes those who value fashion in the cultural industry as an experience-based industry, as well as instinctual, coexisting with formalized strategies for business. Offers Constance White,” perhaps in five or 10 years, blogs will have the power to make unknown fashion designers into stars” (Corcoran, p.1). White is clearly expressing a disconnect between large-scale business strategy and the influence of the fashion blogger. Fortune (2012) offers that blogger relationships with consumers takes time to achieve and effort offered by the blogger to achieve this goal. Sizing up the situation, there is little emphasis being placed on small-scale fashion bloggers who must develop effective strategies to achieve success. When an individual fashion blogger is putting forth the effort to achieve brand success, they gain experience, influence, and perhaps even corporate backing to make their name synonymous with a fashion brand. Mintz (2011, p.1) describes the fashion blogger as “down-to-earth”. Style bloggers need to fit the profile of a like-shaped individual, representing a specific body type considered ideal in the fashion industry. Fashion buyers that are going to be relationship-minded individuals while also maintaining the fundamental principles of fit and form, they must have attributes that will appeal to the psychological values of the buyer. Thus, the blogger must establish their niche with particular buyer segments looking toward like fashion characters to improve their attire or provide other lifestyle-relevant fashion knowledge. Mintz (2011) describes this as the ideal fashion condition that allows important brand relationships to be developed. Further, Mitra, Allen & Eesley (2005) identify that when people with various interests and ideas have a forum by which to combine thoughts, a new type of culture emerges. The fashion blogger acts much like a facilitator between differing and similar ideas, serving as a moderator for improving relationships between those who consider fashion an important lifestyle activity. Fournier (2008) describes the consumer as the “gatekeeper” of the business and the business brand. Consumers are very reflexive in thinking and highly self-aware, thus they will only develop relationships with a fashion brand that focus on relationship development (Fournier, 2008). This will require some dimensions of promotion and advertisement in order to express these opinions and establish a respected business name. Heat & Potter (2005) describe advertising as a seduction, using communications between business and the consumer as a medium to illustrate how a product or brand will benefit the buyer. This all points toward the need for the fashion blogger to be flexible toward the consumer and consider the complex dynamics of the buyer intention and lifestyle in order to provide communications that are considered viable by consumer segments. The fashion blog, if it contained considerable critiques, would likely not gain the consumer attention required to make the fashion blogger receive positive word-of-mouth or gain respect for their fashion knowledge. Some using the blog will be looking toward the fashion advice and imagery to provide sound shopping suggestions, how to blend accessories, or how to transform an undesirable body shape using fashion forward blog advice. If the fashion blogger is utilizing information that chastises the customer or seems to dictatorial, based on the emphasis for the need for relationship development, it is likely the blogger will be criticized or will otherwise be ignored in favor of more relationship-minded blogging professionals. Consider the activities of the fashion blogger when critiquing a genuine dictator, Ghaddafi, in a fashion blog environment. Though societal attitudes about dictatorial leaders are largely negative, consider the example of the fashion blogger response to Ghaddafi sporting designer sunglasses, “I believe the charismatic leader is a true trend teller in the sunglasses market and I would not be surprised to come across some fashion magazines, where Ghaddafi would be spotted wearing a new collection of designer sunglasses” (The Fashion Blog, 2011, p.1). Even in the midst of an authoritarian position and disrespected leader, the professional brand-focused blogger casts a corporate-minded tone, using respect to illustrate the fashion figure. The blogger recognizes the goal of the blogging business, to attract consumer attention, while also staying true to respected and traditional fashion. Avoiding such rhetoric as that found in the supermarket tabloids, the fashion blogger generates an appeal based on behavioral characteristics. Even though the blog was highlighted a character in a genuine dictatorial position with considerable negative consumer opinion, the fashion blogger stayed true to her blogging history and communication style, providing more persuasion and allure as a fashion blogging expert in the field. As previously identified, the endorsement of credible and attractive individuals is considered by consumers to be more relevant. In this industry, there are also very high costs to the fashion blogger in terms of external threats to establishing the appropriate blogging identity and brand name. Consumers have a great deal of choice on the Internet for where to gain their fashion information. There are over four million independent fashion bloggers trying to make it in the industry, thus the blend of information stemming from multiple sources online can serve to confuse or overwhelm the customer. Finding a trusted blogger that provides lifestyle-relevant information, adequate relationship-minded messaging, and interesting professional advice that stays true to a brand personality would not be simplistic in the midst of multiple competition. Thus, the buyer maintains a great deal of control in this industry, something identified by Fournier (2008). When there are multiple alternatives for choosing a fashion blogging expert, the blogger must be concerned about brand defection or maintaining a negative word-of-mouth reputation on the Web. It would not pay, then, to be dictatorial about fashion accessories and fashion knowledge transfer when consumers are turning toward inspiring individuals to provide fashion sense and fashion communications. It is likely, based on the consumer characteristics in this industry, that the blog would simply be dismissed in favor of another blogging site that will work to provide long-term support and charisma. To provide fashion blogger success and justify the notion, it is necessary to establish whether the fashion blogger understands the dynamics of the buyer. One fashion blogger travelled to Paris, using familiar street scenes as a method of creating long-term connection to legitimate fashion purchasers. Offers the blogger, “there can be conflicts between you and the photographer on artistic control of the photos” (Suh, 2012, p.1). In this particular case, the blogger understands that the cultural artifacts of Paris are respected mental representations for buyers that establish credibility and trust. This blogger seemed rather dismissive with little regret for combating for artistic control, using an established business marketing brand concept to further her business’ reputation. However, in this particular case study identified by Suh (2012), the individual was a driven and knowledgeable fashion blogger that understood the complex inter-dependencies needed to create a successful fashion blogging brand. Thus, expressing more dictatorial characteristics was simply using business professionalism relevant in this field to provide a blend of communications and visual imagery that would appeal to or inspire consumer audiences. It can be said, then, that the fashion blogger must be dictatorial when working with others in fashion in order to provide the right blend of content, visualization and attitude that will be appreciated by those consumers that will be most likely to follow advice or style information. In an environment where most fashion advice is still being taken from traditionalist sources (e.g. the Paris runway), it would not benefit the fashion blogger to allow loss of creative controls in certain development stages of the blog experience so long as the blogger understands the market preferences and industry standards for fashion promotion. A General Discussion of Findings Preliminary secondary research on the fashion blogger was expected to provide information that illustrated a dominating and controlling fashionista attempting to exert fashion knowledge and advice on captive fashion audiences. However, since this is a relatively new phenomenon in social media, it was necessary to review many different fashion blogging sites to gain perspective on how relationships are developed. Using a qualitative approach, observing and notating where specific instances of emotional reliance could be viewed between consumer and the fashion blogger was conducted. No evidence of dictatorial advice was present, mostly down-to-earth and respectful banter that was closely associated with their niche consumers’ lifestyle attributes and fashion brands. Blogs that maintained multiple pages with considerable imagery and relationship-focused discussion maintained much more blogger interest and volume than smaller independent fashion bloggers trying to establish a name for their company or self. The aim of the study was to determine whether fashion bloggers are dictatorial and the level to which they can influence buyers. It was established in this study that the blogger, in order for their name or blog to become established in key markets, the fashion blogger must avoid dictatorial knowledge exchanges or the business model simply will not work effectively. In business, an established strategic model must be developed to find success that is based on meeting with market preferences and attitudes. Dictatorial fashionistas in the industry build no important relationships, but are often criticized for these behaviors in popular culture films and other socially-relevant scenarios. It was determined that the fashion blogger will find little market success by using dictatorial language or knowledge when consumers are looking for legitimate fashion advice. Their level of influence on persuading or satisfying fashion consumers is highly dependent on what type of emotional connection is established between brand, the blogger, and the consumer audience following the blog. Their influence on consumers is directly correlated with both professionalism and credibility that cannot be established using dictatorial concepts about the provision of fashion advice. Research did not uncover any instances where more demanding or critical fashion bloggers were reaching key fashion markets. The highly competitive environment simply would not allow for followership or provide more visibility for corporate sponsorship to support the fashion blog. It was expected to discover a consumer desire for dictatorial and demanding fashion advice, however the majority of discussion was that of helpful hints, allowing consumers to send photographs of their own fashion choices, and then critiquing with an empathetic tone of voice. It would seem that the majority of influence of the fashion blogger starts with this concept of transformational or charismatic leadership used throughout the duration of the fashion blogging business model. So, it should be said that the fashion blogger is far from dictatorial. Consumers have complicated emotional dimensions when it comes to choosing fashion products and accepting fashion advice. Ranging from body image problems or concern about fashion selection for lifestyle satisfaction (e.g. social status needs, social belonging, etc.) those who follow fashion blogs look for a like knowledge source that provides meaningful support. Thus, in a sense, fashion blogging should be considered a service industry with considerable emphasis on the consumer and not on the self. Dictatorial behaviors generally stem from self-motivations which would not persuade or satisfy the consumers willing to follow fashion knowledge and advice of their chosen blog source. Conclusion Since fashion blogging is generally in its earliest stages, there is simply not enough research information from legitimate primary sources that justify all suppositions in this research project. However, using secondary research, qualitative observations, and analysis of the fashion market industry and consumer characteristics clearly illustrated a trend toward close-knit buyer/seller relationships in order to gain long-term followership for accepting fashion advice and principles from the blogger. The fashion blogger maintains many opportunities to be successful if they understand consumer characteristics, how to blend promotion and imagery, and appeal to their niche market if they want to gain long-term brand name and blogger name recall by important target fashion consumers. As individuals without a solid business model, their level of influence is lost within the dynamic mix of differing blogging opinions sprouting on the Web regularly. Staying true to the traditionalism of Paris fashion and focusing on corporate-minded business strategy will gain the credibility required of the fashion blogger. This figure in fashion would likely be rejected with dictatorial behaviors and advices, which was supported by very little (if any) such discussion in a variety of researched fashion blogs currently operating on the Internet. Consumers serve as the foundation for the type of direction the fashion blog will develop to create relationships and also to identify the niche necessary to gain attention. The contemporary fashion blogger is knowledgeable, understands promotion, works with nearly clinical professionalism, and uses empathetic tones with consumers to gain visibility and support from consumers for brand establishment. References Corcoran, Cate T. (2006). The Blogs that Took over the Tents, Retrieved October 1, 2012 from http://images.glam.com/112/5357928-3225643e817df00f30.pdf Entwistle, J. (2005). Between Production and Consumption: Fashion Buyers as Cultural Intermediaries, Economic and Social Research Council Report, Retrieved October 2, 2012 from http://www.esrc.ac.uk Fortune, Jo-An. (2012). Working with Fashion Bloggers, Retrieved October 1, 2012 from http://www.icrossing.co.uk/fileadmin/uploads/eBooks/iC_FashionBloggers.pdf Fournier, S. (2008). Consumers and their Brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research, Journal of Consumer Research, 24(March), pp.343-373. Heat, J. & Potter, A. (2005). The Rebel Sell: How the Counter Culture became Consumer Culture, Capstone Publishing Ltd. Mintz, Cynthia C. (2011). Fashion Blogging vs. Style Blogging: This Webitor’s Opinion, Retrieved October 1, 2012 from http://www.delectablychic.com/2011/08/styleandfashionblogging/ Mitra, S., Allen, R. & Eesley, C. (2005). What Matters: Blogs and their Impact on Society, Sloan School of Management, Retrieved October 1, 2012 from http://www.jdhr.org/publications/media-and-development/Blogs.pdf Suh, Seunghee. (2012). An American in Paris: Frassy Blogger on Paris Fashion Week and Balenciaga, Retrieved September 30, 2012 from http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/10/05/an-american-in-paris-frassy-blogger-on-paris- fashion-week-and-balenciaga/ The Fashion Blog. (2011). Gaddafi in Luxurious Sunglasses, Retrieved September 30, 2012 from http://www.fashion-blog.us/sunglasses/devil-sunglasses/ Read More