Fashion Consumerism: the Impact of Marketing Strategies on Generation Z Consumers

Abstract

The fashion industry is one that constantly changes due to worldly events. One of the most common ways to market fashion to consumers is through social media. Interestingly, Generation Z is one of the leading causes of social media use for marketing. With COVID-19 drastically impacting all aspects of life, the researcher chose to answer this question: “How have fast fashion and sustainable fashion brands adapted their social media marketing to target Generation Z in The United States as a result of the pandemic?” The method chosen for this paper was a content analysis looking at 1,200 Instagram posts uploaded to the accounts of five fast fashion brands, and five sustainable fashion brands within chosen dates between 2019 and 2021. The study found that the biggest shifts in social media marketing lay within advocacy of worldly events, sustainability, and a decrease in regular clothing advertisements. While fast fashion and sustainable fashion brands are certainly different, there are interesting parallels between them as it pertains to social media marketing.