Can fashion blogs function as a marketing tool to influence consumer behavior? Evidence from Norway

Abstract

Through the introduction of Web 2.0, the blogging phenomenon has become an important marketing channel, as it has enabled a new way of communicating and sharing information through its user-generated content. Today the largest segment of the blogosphere consists of fashion blogs, i.e. blogs that focus on fashion brands, fashion products, street style, and personal style. In recent years companies have begun to realize the benefits of using blogs as a marketing tool, as they are a targeted and inexpensive way to get publicity and reach potential consumers. This research aims to study whether fashion blogs can function as a marketing tool to influence consumer behavior, limited to the Norwegian fashion blog arena. The study is based on an exploitative research design as there is little existing research on the subject. We have chosen to explore the subject from three different perspectives: those of the readers, the fashion blogs, and the companies involved in fashion blog marketing. In detail, the study looks at the influential power of fashion blogs in context with their strength as a communication tool for marketing products and brands. The results of the study clearly indicate that blog advertisements provide companies with a unique opportunity for market communication, whereby aspects related to credibility and influence can be viewed as incomparable to those involved in traditional advertisement. Through the study one can conclude that fashion blogs can indeed affect consumer behavior, as they have a unique ability to create a strong relationship between the blog and its readers, resulting in the advertisement being viewed in a personal and non-intrusive way.