As the fashion industry has changed the way they promote and get their desired message out to the public, social media has been around and used for quite some time now. Even though social media is not new to the newest generation in the workforce, how businesses and brands use social media has definitely taken a turn compared to a more traditional way like advertising or just the word of mouth from family and friends.
On that note, as many already know social media has many platforms some more obvious than others. As though they were originally conceived for the public, businesses saw this opportunity as something with a low cost and touches a wide range of people and can be easily customizable for their target market. Generally when someone says social media we often think about Instagram, Facebook, twitter and Snapchat. However the social media platforms are much larger such as Youtube and Pinterest which have a huge impact on B to C (business to consumer). In the fashion industry appearance is everything, hence the reason many brands sell their products by creating a certain lifestyle the consumer can relate to and will purchase said product. So you’re probably wondering how social media ties into everything? Well, its pretty simple, on the businesses page, let’s take Instagram as an example, the company can control the aesthetic of the page with the choice of images which creates easy access to all consumers with a tap on the screen or clic on the trackpad. This aesthetic which the marketing team decided on will attract the consumers to whom this specific lifestyle appeals to and drive sales like never before. So as a fashion brand or company, their visuals on their social platforms will help them give out a clear message of how they want to be perceived to the consumer and if done correctly, the consumer will clearly see the brand’s image and to whom they cater or want to cater to.
In addition because basically everyone has at least one social media account it can be a lot to deal with when trying to advertise for a specific demographic so many fashion brands started hiring or sending free goods to what we like to call influencers. Influencers changed the game for late millennials and gen-zers because they are just like the popular kid who is super cool and many aspire to be or crave their acceptance. They will post an “instagramable” worthy picture by tagging the brands which will make a bigger impact on the consumer than a blast email or a basic ad. This works the best with vloggers on youtube because they will be able to talk about the product and the overall experience which today’s young adult and teen consumers crave and expect.
In essence, social media has changed the way the fashion industry markets towards their consumers by creating a more personal and psychological link rather than the more traditional build board on the side of the highway. By customizing their posts, creating a brand aesthetic, hiring influencers and vloggers who knows what new trend the fashion industry will use for further marketing towards their consumer?
The Millennials' Fashion Industry 