How has social media influenced consumers? Part 2

September 11, 2014

 Written by Peiw en Jiang

The practical example of Levi’s

In this section, the author will introduce the case of Levi’s in order to explain how the company within fashion industry makes use of social media to influence its consumers. Levi’s was founded in 1853 and has developed into one of the most renowned clothing companies in the world for its welcomed jeans (Levi’s, 2014). With more than 150 years’ business operation, Levi’s has successfully shaped the brand image to encourage people to hold a pioneering and energetic spirit regardless of their age, gender and occupation (Levi’s, 2014). Levi’s also attempts to deliver the information to its consumers that they should pursue freedom and express self even when they are confronted with difficulties and challenges (Levi’s, 2014). It should be pointed out that social media plays a pivotal role in helping Levi’s achieve current success.

It is necessary for the company to launch different social media platforms before performing social media marketing campaign. Apart from the blog on Levi’s official website, it has effectively organized its social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. Specifically, Levi’s utilizes Twitter to spread creative promotion information and offer customer services while YouTube allows its consumers to appreciate a wide range of videos (Zog Digital, 2013). At the same time, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram make Levi’s attract more consumers to engage its social media marketing activities (Zog Digital, 2013). Millions of followers and likes on the social media web pages are sufficient to prove that Levi’s has successfully fallen into the social media. In fact, these social media channels not only provide Levi’s with platforms to deliver information and convey brand culture but also create opportunities for consumers to socialize around purchase.

Levi’s can be perceived a business example for utilizing social media to conduct a series of compelling marketing campaigns which succeed to attract its consumers to engage in the activities and improve its sales performance. When making the plan to perform social media marketing campaigns, it is significant for Levi’s to deeply understand its consumers. Only by knowing them can Levi’s reach them. Levi’s focuses its target market on the consumers of upper middle class especially those young people between 13 and 24 years old (Li, 2012). Levis has a wide product range and it sometimes designs, produces, and sells jeans for upper class consumers who are more than 30 years old and have strong purchasing power (Li, 2012).

The most attractive marketing campaign of Levi’s is called “Go Forth”. It is for the first time that Levi’s launches such a global marketing campaign in 24 countries and in 19 languages (Li, 2012). Levi’s attempts to present the brand in a new and stimulating manner and improve its sales performance by attracting more loyalty, current and potential consumers for engagement (Mentz, 2012). In terms of the target consumers, it should be explained that not only young people but also old consumers who grow up with Levis are focused by Levis (Miller, 2011). Advertising is generally perceived as one of the most important factors in the marketing campaign. Levi’s designs a global advertisement with the theme of “Legacy” and this is presented in the print and video forms. Even though the “Go Forth” campaign is conducted with the help of traditional media such as magazines and television, Levi’s puts more emphasis on the social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (Mentz, 2012). Specifically, within one month after the advertisement is launched, the number of fans on Facebook and the video viewers on Youtube has dramatically grown. Since young people usually linger on social media platforms, they have a number of opportunities to interact and communicate with peer consumers about their feelings, opinions and perspectives especially about the content of hopes, desires and actions that the advertisement delivers to the audience. With the showing of the advertisement on social media sites, an increasing number of people begin to know Levi’s and purchase its products, which makes Levi’s maintain its top position in the jeans industry (Miller, 2011).

When mentioning the use of social media in the Levi’s marketing campaign, the author has to emphasis the importance of Facebook. Levi’s not only attracts millions of people “like” its page but also maintains high engagement. Zog Digital (2013) points out that customization is the key factor for Levi’s to achieve success on social media platforms. For instance, Levi’s general puts forward open questions to its consumers like “what is your interpretation”, which can encourage consumers to share their feelings and opinions toward the design (Zog Digital, 2013). This will create an intimate feeling to the brand in the consumers’ minds. It should also be appreciated that Levi’s fills its Facebook page with different contents such as company news, promotion and sales information, and fashion tendency prediction.

Apart from utilizing social media to conduct marketing campaigns, Levi’s also launches “Social Plugins” tool which is a social media shopping tool partnered with Facebook (Dilworth, 2010). This online tool allows Levi’s to create product pages on Facebook, which can make consumers “like” items and shop jeans on the social media platform as well. Consumers are able to recommend jean products they like to their Facebook friends by using a widget, which can be perceived as a kind of eWOM. This method allows Levi’s consumers to express their loved feelings to the jeans in front of their friends, which can indirectly influence their friends’ attitudes toward Levi’s. Dilworth (2010) provides an example in his research that if one consumer’s birthday is coming, his or her friends can choose Levi’s jeans that he or she like on Facebook as a secret gift. This kind of social media marketing is totally different from the fan page for the fundamental reason that this allows the consumers to experience shopping at social media platform.

Conclusion

Overall, social media has made great influences upon consumers especially with the involvement of marketers in the company. The company usually utilizes a series of social media platforms to conduct social media marketing campaigns by which it can not only deliver information and convey brand values to its consumers but also stimulate them to purchase its products and services. Another function of social media is to encourage consumers to share opinions, attitudes and feelings regarding the company and its products with their peers on social media platforms.

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