As mass media has come to intervene with politics in a more proactive way during modern times, the image of a politician has evolved into a more relevant factor compared with political content. This phenomenon is known as "image politics", and such externalized images as non-verbal cues have grown in importance, along with the numbers of female politicians. Thus image strategy has been instituted as a major research theme in the field of political marketing, especially for female politicians. In accordance with this theme, this study aims to approach fashion as part of image strategy of female politicians, in order to reemphasize political fashion as a valuable resource. The methodologies employed in this study are based on both the literature and positive research. Female politicians have long utilized fashion styles that are, or are assumed to be, the most appealing to their target base of support in a predominantly male-centered sector. In this sense, appropriate choices in the usage of apparel items, colors, hair styles, accessories, and others according to each situation and respective hierarchies are of the utmost importance. When attending official ceremonies and other related meetings, the strategic superiority afforded to a scientific approach based on thorough fashion research, compared with personal taste is imperative. The significance of this study lies within the recognition of the importance of fashion image, and how to utilize fashion for image strategy in practice, through the investigative synthesis and review of major preceding research.

This paper examines advertising images of fashion brands in vertical social network site (SNS) from the viewpoints of message strategies. Vertical social network sites are types of social curation systems applied to social networking, where information is selected, organized, and maintained. Fashion brands communicate with consumers by presenting images on vertical SNSs, anticipating improvements in brand image, popularity, and loyalty. Those images portray content for particular brands and seasonal concepts, thus creating paths for product sales information. Marketing via SNSs corresponds to relationship marketing, which refers to long-term interrelationship and value augmentation between the company and consumer, and viral advertising, which relies on word of mouth distribution via social network platforms. Taylor’s six-segment message strategy wheel, often used for analyzing viral ads, was applied to conduct a content analysis of the images. A total of 2,656 images of fashion brands advertised on Instagram were selected and analyzed. Results indicated that brand values were somewhat related to the number of followers. Follower rankings and comment rankings were also correlated. In general, fashion brands projected sensory messages most often. Acute need and rational messages were less common than other messages. Sports brands and luxury brands presented sensory messages, whereas fast fashion brands projected routine images most often. Fashion brands promoted on vertical SNSs should portray advertising images that combine message strategies.

본 연구는 제품디자인에 관련한 소비자의 선호와 감성이미지를 파악하여 선호감성이미지를 확인하고 이를 충족시키는 제품디자인요소를 추론하여 소비자가 원하는 디자인을 제공할 수 있는 가장 근본적인 가정인 제품디자인선호-감성이미지-디자인요소의 인과구조를 통해 소비자 감성 지향적 디자인방향에 대한 지침을 제공하고자 한다. 이를 위해 남성용면도기를 연구대상물로 선정하였고, 감성이미지단어들을 추출하기 위한 파일로트 테스트(pilot test)와, 감성이미지단어항목과 선호도를 측정하기 위해 의미차이법을 이용하여 설문을 구성하여 조사, 분석하였다. 결과에 따르면 남성용면도기 디자인전략으로는 소비자들은 남성용면도기제품을 "고급스럽고, 예쁘며, 안정적인" 감성이미지가 높을수록 선호하는데 이 이미지를 충족시키기 위해서는 "바디가 호형도 다각형도 아니고 재질이 스틸이고, 버튼이 푸시형이며, 재질이 스틸, 컬러는 갈색이 아닌 컬러"인 디자인요소가 디자인요소들간에 trade-off관계를 고려하여 조합되어져야한다. 본 연구는 이론적으로는 선호도-감성이미지-디자인요소의 인과 구조에 대한 연구에 기초를 제공하고 실무적으로는 소비자 감성 지향적 디자인을 전망할 수 있는 디자인 프로세스를 제공한다.