Projects
- Is Generation Y changing Social Media and Fashion for good?Generation Y, a generation spanning the last two decades before the 00’s has seen a vast change in may things, but more than anything the boom and expansion of the technological industry, which has in its wake effected everything we now do and have. The boundary of creativity and people expectations is constantly on the move; we expect new things every day. Millennials were born into what people have now started to refer to it as a ‘disruptive mindset’, and with having smart phones always in your pocket or hand and 3.9 billion social accounts world wide and being able to access the internet pretty much anywhere, it has encouraged individuality, creative thinking but also increased demand in everything we do. The influx of freethinking and uncapped potential has resulted in people expecting limits to be pushed. It’s difficult to specify what solely caused the change in the fashion marketing industry due to its similarity in the consumer demand for more of everything. Looking into studies and also from personal understanding, millennials have become one of the largest spending generations ever, and are beginning to change the idea of the term ‘luxury’. It has now become the generation of ‘experience’ rather than physical items. Studies, facts and figures all have begun to point toward any social media platforms being a positive starting point for many brands to promote themselves and their products. Millennials have been proven to be ‘social shoppers’, Barclays quoted that “By 2021 73% of Millennials will have their purchase decision influenced by social media”, Anyone now from the comfort of wherever they are in the world have access to what they want to buy and also are able to see what others are buying. A lot of the decisions made on purchasing something now come from the influence of what friends and connections have purchased and why, with 89% of the whole two decade generation using social media this is a major turning point for companies marketing strategies. But on an alternative side a study recently from Ipos suggests that ‘To lump all Millennials together as one group… would be a mischaracterization, and a mistake for marketers’, so what does that leave us with? After research into age groups, social media preferences and what they use it for, it became clear the leaders in the market for the millennial age group were Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Looking solely into the fashion industry, trends are beginning to point toward millennial becoming a visual generation. Key social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and also Facebook, the first two are biggest in their niche markets focusing just on imagery, people post or rather upload images that are then accessible to anyone, its proven that there has been over a 400% increase in posts on Instagram that relate to fashion brands and trending items than before. It’s a quick way for anyone to see a snap shot of products, experiences and brands. Through a peephole and as an example the surge in Youtube and the rising popularity of vlogging and blogging has met the need of our ‘nosey generation’, as a generation interested in ‘experiences’ being able to see a cut down and ‘pretty version’ of someone lifestyle, day to day experiences have been on the rise. Fashion marketers have started to realize and discover that this is the a way of reaching out to their customers, through endorsing and featuring their products or brand with these Youtube celebrities who have a huge following that watch them daily it has resulted in a large online audience all being visually introduced to the products at once. The rise in social media has resulted in a change, lead by the millennial generation, when marketing a business it key to keep in mind the major strategies and elements that are trending in the marketing industry now, Social – Blogging and Vlogging is on the rise, it includes networks and a range of image sites that have resulted in a change of what shoppers think as social Expression – The logos you were match the individual personality you want to express through your clothing. Experience – Purchases are thought through usually with an idea of what, where and why the items will be worn, but there is also a tendency of occasional splurge of shopping Finally I think that the fashion Industry is ever changing. Marketers have now produced ingenious strategies to utilize social media to connect with millennials, endorse social engagement and gain a strong following of loyal customers. ‘Brands now know that social media is based on word of mouth online and offline’.
- Shoppers Paradise or Ethical wasteland? We all wear clothes, but they vary from culture to culture. In our Western style, jeans and a dress shirt, maybe even a dress, would be good for a party or event. But, for example, the dresses in Japan and China would be more traditional. In the UK, a white dress for a wedding is most acceptable. Yet in Japan, a traditional kimono is worn at most weddings. If dressing is so different in Japan, what about the rest of the world? Due to this diversity, the fashion world and industry is always changing, and ever growing. The range offered to consumers on the high street, online and also at fashion events is so broad; many of us don’t know where to start. Using the high street as an example, chain stores are on the increase and with this comes larger demand and larger manufacturing lines. Within the UK high street TopShop is one of the most influential and is the flagship brand of the Arcadia group– the UK’s second largest retailer. The cost of buying new clothes and fashion products now is at the lowest it has ever been and although we are encouraged to buy more expensive brands such as TopShop, Zara, Mulberry and many more rather than Primark and H&M, will that really begin to lessen the ethical and social effects that the fashion industry has on the planet. I find this hard to believe now after reviewing a few of my personal favourite brands, which I have to say, thoroughly disappointed me. In the fashion world, companies loosely throw around and use buzz words such as ‘organic’, ‘ethical’ and ‘green’ in advertisements and press launches – trying to profile themselves as responsible for all outputs in every sector of their company. But from what I see, anything goes. An office that deals with a global company’s HR could choose to start recycling their paper, for this they would then would be able to say they are an ethically responsible body. When researching ethical fashion it struck me that the textile industry is rapidly heading downhill. With environmental, social and political disasters repeatedly occurring, people are starting to really question whether what we are doing is right! The low cost of clothes produced in small, cramped sweatshops all over the world are what the fashion industry tries to hide behind their large, shiny new advertising campaigns. Although there have been many organizations and charities trying to make a stand against this, including ‘War on Want’ who recently wrote an article called Stitched Up exposing all the facts and awful stories from the women working in the garment factories over in Bangladesh. By doing this they are trying to pull the veil away from the eyes of both the consumers and investment companies around the world. On average, British women spend £83,498 on clothes in their lifetime. But this is not enough. Without confronting companies such as TopShop, Adidas and Primark there will be no change. Educating people about where and who they are sourcing and buying their products from is a start, but we need to delve into the larger companies which make up the main body of the fashion world and make them answerable to questions of whether their suppliers and manufacturing are environmentally sound and ethically decent. This is what Stella McCartney did with all of her commitments to the environment, animal welfare and use of green energy. If more designers, companies and manufacturers could try and put in place, some solid performance control, as Stella McCartney has, it would change our inevitable destruction of our environment as well as improve welfare for many people working in the textile and fashion industry. McCartney shows what they are achieving. “We continue to use as much organic cotton as possible in our collections and we are always exploring new Eco materials and processes. In 2012, 34% of our denim and 36% of our jersey for ready-to-wear was made from organic cotton and 50% of all knitwear for Stella McCartney Kids was organic”. Ethical Fashion is about being creative. Encouraging every company in the industry to work really hard with suppliers and producing fashion that we can all be proud of and wear with a clear conscience. It is not difficult it just needs dedication and determination of both the consumer and also the companies behind it all.
- Is Social Media introducing a change into the Fashion Industry on a Generational spectrum? Generation Y, a generation spanning the last two decades before the 00’s has seen a vast change in may things, but more than anything the boom and expansion of the technological industry, which has in its wake effected everything we now do and have. The boundary of creativity and people expectations is constantly on the move; we expect new things every day. The rise of home computers had only started in the 80’s, but 1997 saw the first ripples of social media coming to the surface, through a company called Six Degrees, where people could create a profile, upload a photo and connect to friends through it. 1999 was suggested as the year ‘blogging’ became a ‘thing’ and people became interested in posting what they thought on the internet, after this social media began to take its gigantic first steps with sites such as Linkdin, Myspace and Youtube were created and became an instant hit within the first few years of the 00’s. From this surge of enthusiasm from Generation Y, other sites were created which are now the table leaders such as Facebook and Twitter, quick connecting sites that a majority of the world now uses on a daily basis, not soon after due to demand niche marketed sites came along such as Spotify and Pinterest. Generation Y were born into what people have now started to refer to it as a ‘disruptive mindset’, having mobile phones always in your pocket, to being able to access the internet pretty much anywhere, it has encouraged individuality, creative thinking but also increased demand in everything we do. The influx of freethinking and uncapped potential has resulted in people expecting limits to be pushed. It’s difficult to decipher consumerism from the rise in change of the marketing industry due to its similarity in the demand for more of everything. Looking into studies and also from personal understanding, millennials have become one of the largest spending generations ever, and are beginning to change the idea of the term ‘luxury’. It has now become the generation of ‘experience’ rather than physical items. Studies, facts and figures all have begun to point toward any social media platforms being a positive starting point for many brands to promote themselves and their products. Millennials have been proven to be ‘social shoppers’; from the comfort of wherever they are in the world they now have access to what they want to buy and also are able to see what others are buying, what’s on trend as well as what’s not. A lot of the decisions made on purchasing something now come from the influence of what friends and connections have purchased and why, with 89% of the whole two decade generation using social media this is a major turning point for companies marketing strategies. But on an alternative side a study recently from Ipos suggests that ‘To lump all Millennials together as one group… would be a mischaracterization, and a mistake for marketers’, so what does that leave us with? Staying focused on just the influence this has on the fashion industry it begins to point toward millennials have become a visual generation. Key social media platforms such as Instagram, Pintrest and also Facebook, the first two are biggest in their niche markets focusing just on imagery, people post or rather upload images that are then accessible to anyone, its proven that there has been over a 400% increase in posts on Instagram that relate to fashion brands and trending items than before. It’s a quick way for anyone to see a snap shot of products, experiences and brands. Through a peephole and as an example the surge in Youtube and the rising popularity of vlogging and blogging has met the need of our ‘nosey generation’, as a generation interested in ‘experiences’ being able to see a cut down and ‘pretty version’ of someone lifestyle, day to day experiences have been on the rise. Fashion marketers have started to realize and discover that this is the a way of reaching out to their customers, through endorsing and featuring their products or brand with these Youtube celebrities who have a huge following that watch them daily it has resulted in a large online audience all being visually introduced to the products at once. The rise in social media has resulted in a change, lead by the millennial generation, Future Cast created 7 key trends that have affected the retail industry and changed the marketing strategies and mechanics on many fashion brands, after looking closely at the facts and trends it seems there are a few key running elements through the ‘experience’. 1. Social – Blogging and Vlogging is on the rise, it includes networks and a range of image sites that have resulted in a change of what shoppers think as social. 2. Expression – The logos you were match the individual personality you want to express through your clothing. 3. Experience – Purchases are thought through usually with an idea of what, where and why the items will be worn, but there is also a tendency of occasional splurge of shopping Fashion is everchanging. Marketers have now produced ingenious strategies to utilize social media to connect with millennials, endorse social engagement and gain a strong following of loyal customers. ‘Brands now know that social media is based on word of mouth online and offline’.
Work history
Event Assistant
- Malmesbury, United KingdomInternship
Marketing Executive
- Bath, United KingdomInternship
Working within the Food and Beverage Industry, for a publishing house in Bath.
Key responsibilities:
Contacting as many sales targets as possible via email, phone and social media leads.
Prioritising sales leads.
Managing a sales pipeline.
Ensuring that the revenue targets are met and exceeded.
Supporting the marketing department and awards communication structure.
Ensuring large companies come in as well as small, to ensure event credibility.
To assist with post-deadline processes.
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Skills
- Content Copywriting Digital Blogging Creative
- Abode Creative Suite
- Events
- Talent Mapping
- Media
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Account Management
- CRM
Education
BA(Hons) Fashion Marketing and Promotion
- Plymouth, United Kingdom