This study assessed the effectiveness of brand image communication on consumer perceptions of cruelty-free fashion brands. Brand messaging data were gathered from postings on the official Instagram accounts of three cruelty-free fashion brands and consumer perception data were gathered from Tweets containing keywords related to each brand. Web crawling and natural language processing were performed using Python and sentiment analysis was conducted using the BERT model. By analyzing Instagram content from Stella McCartney, Patagonia, and Freitag from their inception until 2021, this study found these brands all emphasize environmental aspects but with differing focuses: Stella McCartney on ecological conservation, Patagonia on an active outdoor image, and Freitag on upcycled products. Keyword analysis further indicated consumers perceive these brands in line with their brand messaging: Stella McCartney as high-end and eco-friendly, Patagonia as active and environmentally conscious, and Freitag as centered on recycling. Results based on the assessment of the alignment between brand-driven images and consumer-perceived images and the sentiment evaluation of the brand confirmed the outcomes of brand communication performance. The study revealed a correlation between brand image and positive consumer evaluations, indicating that higher alignment of ethical values leads to more positive consumer assessments. Given that consumers tend to prioritize search keywords over brand concepts, it’s important for brands to focus on using visual imagery and promotions to effectively convey brand communication information. These findings highlight the importance of brand communication by emphasizing the connection between ethical brand images and consumer perceptions.

Until now, research on consumers’ purchasing behavior has primarily focused on psychological aspects or depended on consumer surveys. However, there may be a gap between consumers’ self-reported perceptions and their observable actions. In response, this study aimed to investigate consumer purchasing behavior utilizing a big data approach. To this end, this study investigated the purchasing patterns of fashion items, both online and in retail stores, from a data-driven perspective. We also investigated whether individual consumers switched between online websites and retail establishments for making purchases. Data on 516,474 purchases were obtained from fashion companies. We used association rule analysis and K-means clustering to identify purchase patterns that were influenced by customer loyalty. Furthermore, sequential pattern analysis was applied to investigate the usage patterns of online and offline channels by consumers. The results showed that high-loyalty consumers mainly purchased infrequently bought items in the brand line, as well as high-priced items, and that these purchase patterns were similar both online and in stores. In contrast, the low-loyalty group showed different purchasing behaviors for online versus in-store purchases. In physical environments, the low-loyalty consumers tended to purchase less popular or more expensive items from the brand line, whereas in online environments, their purchases centered around items with relatively high sales volumes. Finally, we found that both high and low loyalty groups exclusively used a single preferred channel, either online or in-store. The findings help companies better understand consumer purchase patterns and build future marketing strategies around items with high brand centrality.

목적 : 본 연구의 목표는 서울지역 20대 MZ세대 집단이 인식하는 해외 안경테 브랜드 국가의 감성의미를 도출 하는 것이다. 방법 : 먼저 연구 대상으로 이탈리아, 프랑스, 미국, 일본 4개국을 선정하였다. 의미분별법을 이용하여 감성어 휘 8개를 추출한 다음, 설문조사와 통계처리를 통하여 각각의 국가별로 해당되는 감성어휘를 결정하였고, 해외 안 경테 브랜드 국가에 대한 선호도 조사를 추가로 실시하였다. 결과 : 이탈리아, 프랑스, 미국, 일본의 4가지 해외 안경테 브랜드 국가들에 대하여 각각 고급스러움, 매력적 임, 실용적임, 동양적임이라는 감성어휘를 가장 많이 선택하였다. 안경테에 대한 선호도 순위는 이탈리아, 프랑스, 미국, 일본 순으로 나타났다. 결론 : 도출된 감성어휘들과 응답자들의 선호도를 분석했을 때, 고급스러움과 디자인적 측면을 중시하는 MZ세 대의 플렉스 소비 성향에는 이탈리아와 프랑스 브랜드의 안경테가 가정 적합한 것으로 여겨진다.

본 연구는 SNS 계정으로 화장품 브랜드를 구독하고 있는 10대에서 50대 남녀의 지각된 연령을 기준으로 소비자-브랜드 상호작용과 관계가 구매동기와 만족도에 미치는 영향력을 분석하기 위해 설문 조 사를 하였다. 수집된 자료의 통계처리는 SPSS 21.0로 빈도분석, 요인분석, 신뢰도분석, 회귀분석, 다중회귀 분석을 하였다. 조사대상자들의 지각된 연령을 타인이 지각한 연령과 스스로 지각한 연령의 차이에 따라 ‘지각된 저집단’, ‘지각된 중집단’, ‘지각된 고집단’으로 분류하였다. 세 집단은 소비자-브랜드 상호작용과 소비자-브랜드 관계는 구매동기와 유의미한 정의 관계가 나타났고, 소비자-브랜드 관계는 구매동기 중에 서도 ‘매력적’을 설명하는 주요 변수로 나타났다. 세 집단은 소비자-브랜드 상호작용과 소비자-브랜드 관 계는 만족도와 유의미한 정의 관계가 나타났고, 소비자-브랜드 관계는 만족도를 설명하는 주요 변수로 나 타났다. 그러므로, 본 연구의 결론은 지각된 연령집단별, 소비자-브랜드 상호작용과 소비자-브랜드 관계가 구매동기와 만족도에 정적 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 특히, 소비자-브랜드 관계는 화장품 구매동기 와 만족도에 주요한 변수가 된다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 본 연구는 SNS에서 지각된 연령이 화장품 브랜드 마케팅에 미치는 영향력을 실증적으로 분석함에 따라, 화장품 판매전략을 수립할 수 있는 실무적 시사점 및 마케팅에 활용될 수 있는 기초자료가 될 것으로 사료된다.

This study aims to investigate how attitudes towards femvertising affects brand credibility, brand authenticity, and purchase intention. Further, the mediation of femwashing on these relationships was investigated. And lastly, the impact of brand credibility and authenticity on purchase intention was examined. The results show that a favourable attitude towards femvertising positively affects brand credibility and authenticity but is not significant for purchase intention. Likewise, the mediation of femwashing on these relationships was not significant. In addition, brand credibility and brand authenticity had a positive impact on purchase intention.

Generation Z is reported to have a precocious positive attitude to luxury while, in contrast to previous generations, caring less about status and more about ethics. Therefore, we study the predictors of luxury brand perceptions (the BLI dimensions and brand ethicality) and brand attitude as a consequence of it. We test our model based on survey data on perceptions of three luxury car brands by a sample of 218 Gen Z consumers in Germany. Our findings show that only three of the six proposed antecedents significantly predict luxury brand perceptions. Further, they show that to appeal to Gen Z consumers, luxury brands should focus on conspicuousness, hedonism, quality and ethicality. Overall, our findings call for more research on the evolving nature of luxury perceptions with younger generations.

Promotion of brand-related sustainability initiatives (BSI) is a modern managerial issue, as BSI seems to impact not only sustainability but also consumer psychology toward a brand. In this regard, the author has extended self-congruity theory and suggested the concept of brand-sustainability-self-congruence (BSSC) as the image congruence of the triad comprising brand, BSI, and self-concept. Former surveys report predictive effects of BSSC on consumers’ brand evaluation, leading to increased brand equity (Kumagai, 2022, 2023).

Environmental concern has escalated as the climate crisis is an increasingly prevalent issue for the global society. Further catalysed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, consumer behaviours are shifting, materialising in greener purchasing behaviour and heightened expectations of environmental brand practices. This phenomenon is affecting consumer attitudes and behaviour towards fashion brands. As such, credible environmental marketing strategies are increasingly central to brand success, influencing brand credibility perception.

Consumers sometimes see brands as relationship partners and expect that they conform to certain expectations, or relational norms. However, there is no valid and universal operationalization of these norms for the specific context of consumer-brand relationships. We address this gap by developing and validating a new scale in four studies.

Fashion companies develop initiatives in the Metaverse, especially through Gamification, Non-Fungible Tokens or Shopping experience. Through a Systematic Literature Review in Metaverse and Fashion Communication and Systematic Content analysis in Vogue Business and The Business of Fashion we highlight the best actions in the metaverse and their future application.

Many companies seek to position their brands as global players to benefit from favorable quality and prestige inferences. Yet, recent research calls into question whether global brand positioning strategies are invariably beneficial. In many Western markets, the political environment becomes increasingly tense, with nationalism and ethnocentrism on the rise. Against this background, we seek to answer the question: How does political ideology influence the effectiveness of global brand positioning strategies? Do global brand positioning strategies create more value in liberal or conservative environments?

In order to communicate brand concepts and values to the young generations, many brands are highly active on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Brand-Generated Content has already become the most common marketing strategy for fashion brands and plays a significant role in influencing consumers’ purchase intention. With increased competition on social media platforms, companies need to understand which posting features can bring in more consumer engagements such as number of likes and comments on social media platforms. In this paper, we develop (1) a model to predict the number of likes and (2) a methodology to detect anomaly of posts that have unusually high percentage of negative user comments based on Instagram design variables, including semantic text meanings, facial expressions, color scheme and background of photos, and post timing, among others. We collected a data set of brand-generated Instagram posts from ten fashion brands. The data covers the image, text, and user comments posted between 2019 and 2020. Image features were extracted using Convolutional Neural Network, and text topics were generated through Latent Dirichlet Allocation. Our results will help managers design Instagram posts to increase consumer engagement and to reduce negative consumer reactions.

As interactive marketing devices that serve as proximity-marketing tools, AI-powered voice assistants (VA) provide consumers with highly innovative convenience, which in turn fosters consumer–brand relationships (Wang, 2021). This research aims to explore the role of AI-powered VAs as a positive technology that offers consumers a sense of positive experiences, thus contributing to building a consumer-brand relationship. Based on the positive technology paradigm and transformation of flow strategy, this research conducted a 2 (locus of agency: high, machine-centric vs. low, human-centric) by 2 (brand image and voice congruency effect: incongruent vs. congruent) between-subjects experimental design. Then, ANOVA and structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis were conducted to explain how perceived control, flow, and happiness induced by the interaction with brands’ AI-powered VAs lead to the formation of brand loyalty under the moderating influences of brand image and VA’s voice congruency. A total of 316 participants were recruited via Prolific. The ANOVA analysis highlights the importance of user-centric agency, as people tend to desire to control their environment (White, 1959). Further, the results suggest that the congruency between brand image and VAs also leads people to positive reactions, as it improves their comfort and control (Rodero, Larrea, & Vázquez, 2013). SEM analysis results found that perceived control was a crucial factor that led participants to flow experience (Ghani et al., 1991). Further, this study found that perceived control could lead to a much broader aspect, such as an increase in happiness. Therefore, the overall study findings support the potential of AI-powered VAs as a positive technology. This research contributes to human-machine interaction, positive technology paradigm, and VA literature. In addition, this study provides beneficial insights for marketers and app developers.

For the many companies that operate internationally, the challenge of translating brand typography into different writing systems is a crucial and complex one. To address this issue, specialized type designers developed "bilingual typography": localized brand typography meant to preserve the original visual identity. They assume that by mimicking the appearance of the original typography, the newly created non-Latin typography will maintain brand consistency. However, no research investigated whether such approach is efficient.

Promotion of brand-related sustainability initiatives (BSI) is a modern managerial issue, as BSI seems to impact not only sustainability but also consumer psychology toward a brand. In this regard, the author has extended self-congruity theory and suggested the concept of brand-sustainability-self-congruence (BSSC) as the image congruence of the triad comprising brand, BSI, and self-concept. Former surveys report predictive effects of BSSC on consumers’ brand evaluation, leading to increased brand equity (Kumagai, 2022, 2023).

Since time immemorial company’s interaction with its customers plays a vital role in co-creation of values and shared lifestyle. Similarly, for Japanese department stores passing through the declining stage of the life cycle, strategy based on maintaining relationships is important for renovating their business models. This study examines the importance of “Retail Brand Community” for Japanese department stores, considering from the perspective of Brand community and Social Identity Theory.

This study aims to provide insights into ageing consumers’ content usage, content typology choices, and online brand advocacy. Consumers from Southern Europe aged 55+ were included in semi-structured interviews. The study reveals insights into online behaviours and proposes an online brand advocacy framework for ageing consumers, contributing to the literature and offering managerial implications.

Consumer brand engagement (CBE) signals propensity for brand purchase. A scale proposes three dimensions of CBE (i.e., cognitive, affective and activation dimensions) but the dimensions prominent and driving brand purchase intentions in an Instagram cosmetic purchase context need examination. In this context, this study tests Hollebeek, Glynn and Brodie’s (2014) 10-items/3 dimensions scale and examines an outcome of cosmetics brand purchase intention on Instagram. Data was quantitatively collected from 203 consumers who were students and non-students using convenience and snowballing non- probability sampling method. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. The results revealed that although the three CBE dimensions were identified in a Cosmetic Instagram purchase context, it was the affective and activation dimensions that positively predicted consumers’ intentions to purchase cosmetic brands after engaging with the brand on Instagram. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is producing more and more branded content such as image, text, video and sound. This area of so-called generative AI became particularly popular with the public after the launch of ChatGPT. Furthermore, political correctness has been discussed in recent years, since society is becoming increasingly sensitive to certain issues surrounding topics such as racism or gender equality. Therefore, it is more important than ever for brands to communicate in a politically correct way. In the past, humans were responsible for negative brand communication and brand voice. However, with the development of these AI-tools and platforms, AI also creates brand voice and this AI-generated brand voice can similarly cause such negative feelings.

The rapid advancement of technology has created unprecedented opportunities for brands to engage with their existing and potential consumers through digitally enriched products. One such technology that enables the digital enrichment of analog products is augmented reality (AR). Through AR, consumers are able to directly interact with brands, for example, by scanning a product to unlock animated digital content that prompts them to take reciprocal actions. Recognizing that technologies that fail to actively engage consumers may struggle to realize their full potential, our study incorporates consumer brand engagement as a key factor of investigation. Consumer engagement with the brand signifies a higher level of commitment and aids in building lasting and beneficial relationships, as well as enhancing brand knowledge, ultimately positively influencing consumer-based brand equity.