Abstract
Social media influencers (SMIs) in the fashion industry become professional individuals who have a large following on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Many SMIs in the fashion industry have become successful in their own right and have gained significant influence in the fashion world projecting their branded personas. Fashion industry SMIs can face several challenges including the need to constantly create new and rich content; develop engaged narratives; pressure to maintain a certain image, the rivalry from other influencers. However, there are also many opportunities for SMIs in the fashion industry. Some say it is fertile ground. They can also collaborate directly with brands and use their influence to promote products and services. Having said that, more research is needed to grant reliable data to empower SMIs with accurate knowledge. Based on a systematic bibliometric literature review at Scopus, this research aims to appraise challenges and opportunities in building a SMI landscape in fashion.
TopMethodological Approach
A systematic bibliometric literature review (LRSB) was conducted to identify, synthesize, analyze, and report data on the use of social media influencers in the fashion industry. Paré and Kitsiou (2017) state that review articles represent powerful information sources for practitioners looking for state-of-the-art evidence to guide their decision-making and work practices. With the growing need for social media influencers in marketing campaigns, it is crucial to present marketing practitioners and other business decision-makers with state-of-the-art evidence on influencer marketing and its potential impact on business performance and potential challenges. Based on Paré and Kitsiou (2017), a literature review can help obtain and analyze the necessary information to create a comprehensive report to be translated into practice.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Brand/Digital Brand: A name to characterize a type of product or service made by a particular company and available in a marketplace environment, whether physical or digital.
Social media: Are interactive digital platforms that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual groups, communities, and networks.
Social Media Influencer: Is a content creation and distribution activity that takes place through social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Gen X and Gen Z: Are groups of people of approximately the same age within a society or within a particular family. It has several points in common: experiences, values, visions of life, and an approximation of ages. These characteristics will shape this group of people, causing them to behave in the same way. Generation X identifies individuals born between 1965 and 1979, and Generation Y identifies individuals born between 1980 and 1994.
Fashion Industry: An activity in which a company designs, produces, and sells new styles of clothes, shoes, bags, etc., especially expensive ones.
Sponsorship and Sponsored Content: An association with a website or a person that gives an advertiser some visibility and advantage when associated with specific content, sponsorship can provide a more targeted audience. Sponsorship also implies “synergy and resonance” between the website and the advertiser. Some sponsorships are available as value-added opportunities for advertisers who buy a certain minimum amount of advertising.