Are marketers losing control of fashion brands?

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to examine the influence of fashion blogs on consumer brand preferences and investigate the emergence of “communities of style” associated with combinations of fashion brands. Design/methodology/approach – This study undertakes a netnography of Swedish fashion blogs, applying an ethnographic approach to information posted on the Internet. Findings – Right now, there are probably more people in Sweden reading or posting on a fashion blog than there are reading a newspaper. There were greater than 60 Swedish fashion blogs generating greater than 10,000 visits a week back in August 2009; ten of them each generated greater than 100,000 visits a week. It is an increasingly global phenomenon – the location of choice for internationally known elite fashion bloggers. This is a consumer-driven information platform publicizing the brand choices made by stylish people to an international audience – a development with considerable implications for fashion industry marketers. Research limitations/implications – This study focuses on the Swedish blog network. Future research could use a similar netnographic approach to identify international communities of style and relate them to the global fashion industry. Practical implications – The study draws attention to the way this development shifts power over brand meaning toward consumers and away from marketers. Social implications – The study shows that fashion blogs can demonstrate all the characteristics of a community and can communicate with and influence a wide audience. Originality/value – The study highlights the use of style as a way to bring consumers together in virtual communities involving the selection and combination of multiple brands.