KEY ELEMENTS FOR INFLUENCE

KEY ELEMENTS FOR SUSTAINING AND ENHANCING INFLUENCE

FOR FASHION BLOGGERS

Alison M. Rossi

Kent State University; The Fashion School

KEY ELEMENTS FOR INFLUENCE

Thesis written by

Alison Rossi

B.A., Walsh University, 2012

M.A., Kent State University, 2016

Approved by

Dr. Kim Hahn, Thesis Advisor

Mr. J.R. Campbell, Director, The Fashion School

Michael Loderstaedt, M.F.A., Interim Director, School of Art

Dr. John Crawford-Spinelli, Dean, College of the Arts KEY ELEMENTS FOR INFLUENCE iii

ABSTRACT

As readership of fashion blogs has increased, so too has their influence on ordinary people, or so one would believe. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the perceived influence of fashion bloggers through examination of several industry- recognized “influential blogs” and a survey of blog reader’s perception of influence. This study seeks to identify the key elements of blog content that fashion bloggers must possess at a minimum to have any significant degree of influence on their readers. Four key elements have been identified as fundamental to having and sustaining influence among blog readers, in general; (1) Trustworthiness (2) Expertise (3) Personal Relevance and (4) Authenticity. A survey of 159 fashion students at Kent State University’s Fashion School was conducted to gain further insight into the fashion blog readers’ perceptions of influence in the context of these four key elements. The presence (or absence) of the four elements do appear to positively (or negatively) impact influence on a typical fashion blog reader or subscriber. The essential findings from the survey demonstrate that a blog’s influence remains linked to readers’ perceptions, particularly in the context of these four elements, and may well be evaluated and ranked on such key elements.

This study also found that fashion bloggers are progressively more influential as a result of the interactive elements of prevailing social media platforms and the proliferation of digital technology, which tend to increase electronic word-of-mouth and further contribute to the fashion blogger’s level of influence. The practical implications are clear for fashion bloggers and personal style bloggers who strive to have any degree of influence on readers and subscribers to their blogs, as well as those who seek to attract and sustain an audience as a successful business model within the increasingly competitive world of fashion blogs.

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LIST OF TABLES

Table______Page

Table 1. Sample Set of Ten Personal Style Blogs……………………………………………… 37

Table 2. Components on Websites……………………………………………………………….39

Table 3. Demographics of Survey Participants…………………………………………………..50

Table 4. Sixteen (16) Common Blog Components………………………..…………..…..…… 58

Table 5. Eight (8) Social Media Components…………………………………………...... …..…58

Table 6. Ten (10) Sampled Fashion Bloggers Instagram Followers…….…….………………...63

Table 7. Summary of Common Blog Components………………………………………………67

Table 8. Representation of Four (4) Core Elements of Influence.…...…………………………..75

Table 9. Perception of Four Key Elements of Influence………………………………...………77

Table 10. Summary of Common Blog Components…………..…………………………………78

Table 11. Respondents’ Read Order on a Blog……………..……………………………………81

Table 12. Readers’ Perception of Core Elements Representation on a Blog………..…………...81

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ...... iii

LIST OF TABLES ...... iv

CHAPTER I ...... 1

INTRODUCTION ...... 1

DEFINITION OF TERMS ...... 7

CHAPTER II ...... 8

LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 8

Fashion Bloggers ...... 9

Personal Style Bloggers ...... 10

Blog Content and Influence ...... 12

Fashion Industry Influence ...... 15

Blogging Business Considerations ...... 17

A Fashion Blog's Accessibility…………………………………………………………..22

Fashion Consumer Context ...... 20

Key Elements of Fashion Blog Influence ...... 25

RESEARCH QUESTIONS ...... 34

CHAPTER III ...... 35

METHODOLOGY ...... 35

Content Analysis of Fashion Bloggers ...... 35

Exploratory Study...... 38

Participants ...... 39

Survey Procedure ...... 40

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Survey Questionnaire Design……………………………………………………………40

Survey Instrument ...... 41

Pilot Study ...... 45

Distributed Questionnaire--Survey Instrument ...... 48

CHAPTER IV ...... 49

RESULTS ...... 49

Respondents Social Media Use……………………………………………………..……51

Respondents Perception of Fashion ...... 51

Respondents Perceived Personal Style ...... 52

Blogging Experience and Blog Reading ...... 53

Familiarity with the Top Fashion Bloggers ...... 54

Perception of the Four Core Elements of Influence……………………………………...56

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLICATIONS ...... 87

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ...... 88

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ...... 89

REFERNCES ...... 90

APPENDIX A: INITIAL CORRESPONDENCE ...... 101

APPENDIX B: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ...... 102

APPENDIX C: IRB APPROVAL LETTER…………………………………………………...108 APPENDIX D: COMMON BLOG COMPONENTS & SOCIAL MEDIA COMPONENTS ..109

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

On average, it is estimated that 23% of all Internet time is spent on blogs and social media networks. More important is the finding that 77% of all Internet users read blogs (Alioto,

2014). In addition, 81% of U.S. consumers trust advice and information posted on blogs, while

61% of U.S. consumers have reportedly made a purchase based on a blog post (Writtent, 2016).

Based upon 2014 population estimates, that would equate to approximately 212,520,000 people reading blogs (Alioto, 2014). According to Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2011 -- an advertising technology company that specializes in building tools and services that accelerate blog publishers’ revenues -- when you crunch the numbers, it works out globally to be nearly

12,000 new blogs created every day, with more than 8 million blogs online, and over 2,750,000 new posts every day, together with over 10 billion blog pages viewed per month. One reason for the remarkable growth of blogs is the ease with which they can be developed and maintained.

However, maintaining and updating content is essential for sustaining its presence and importance to prospective readers and subscribers, regardless of subject matter or industry.

In general, there are five basic types of bloggers for which information is readily available for any current research -- the Part-time Professional, the Hobbyist, the Full-time

Professional, the Corporate blogger, and the Entrepreneur blogger.

One of the most widely recognized topics of interest to readers is fashion. Fashion blogs are one instance of a larger phenomenon that includes online reviews and user-generated content and now extends to the consumption of food and home décor, as well as clothing (McQuarrie,

Miller, & Phillips, 2013). Examples of fashion industry blogs, by general category include:

General Fashion, Fashion News, Retail Shopping-Products, Street Style, Personal Style, and

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more recently, Lifestyle. Lifestyle bloggers tend to mix fashion content with lifestyle content.

The lifestyle posts typically contain content about fashion, along with a focus on beauty, health, travel and/or home décor.

Fashion bloggers have become key players in the field of fashion (Rocamora, 2011).

Today they are becoming an even more influential force among consumers of fashion. More than

60% of U.S. online consumers say they have made purchases as a direct result of reading a blogger’s recommendation (Ball, 2015). Among fashion bloggers, the first to command wide media attention was actually a 13-year-old girl from the suburbs of Chicago, Tavi Gevinson

(Wilson, 2009). She was even profiled in the Wall Street Journal and the Guardian. As early as

2010 her blog posts had, at that time, been read by over 10,000 readers on a regular basis.

The identification of influential bloggers within online communities and among social media platforms is also becoming significant for fashion designers, fashion merchants, and retailers. Companies have increased efforts to actively seek out and partner with influential bloggers; particularly ones who can become brand representatives for them and enhance a firm’s traditional marketing efforts. For a corporation, blogs can be used to market products and used for two-way communication with customers and potential customers. Also companies have been quick to offer free products to fashion bloggers in hopes that they will share their product or brand experiences with their readers (Dunlop, 2010). More recently, researchers have begun to evaluate the culture of fashion blogs and their usefulness as a possible tool for product marketing and brand management (Sedeke, 2012).

Bloggers, by contrast with conventional media editorial workflows, publish posts quickly, which requires bloggers to develop content that is relevant and of interest to their audience, and deliver it swiftly (Online Publishing, 2006). For each entry posted to a blog, the

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objective of the blogger is generally to have the reader interact with the blogger by means of contributing his or her own comments and views on the posted feature. This type of interactive communication is then automatically and simultaneously made available for everyone who is subscribed as a reader to view and also comment on. Fleetness of posts and quickness of reader comments to blogs are evolving rapidly as the technology evolves. They are not only text now, but also include striking images and alluring videos, as well as hyperlinks to other websites and resources for readers. Some even include links to other blogs, and provide informative charts and graphics, and other edifying materials.“Digital is the future, and it’s a future where a multitude of strong individual voices can rival the influence of the more prominent, institutional few”

(Fashion Magazine, 2013: 3).

This study identified and evaluated blog characteristics among a distinct sample of highly ranked influential fashion bloggers. As a result of the ranking, it is presumed that they embody at least one or more of the four key elements of influence: trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance, and authenticity. One would assume that an influential personal style blog, as a subcategory of fashion blogs, readily exhibits most of these key elements in order to have the power to exert influence on readers and grow its subscriber base and ultimately its number of followers. Whereby, growing its subscriber base and number of followers helps to ensure their longevity and sustainability of the blog in the competitive blogosphere.

Next, this study conducted a survey of college-level fashion students to determine if the four core elements of influence; trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance, and authenticity, are a set of reliable elements perceived by prospective readers of fashion blogs to embody the level of influence.

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The most recent research on the influence of fashion blogs is by Clarke and Johnstone

(2012), who concluded that there are four (4) core characteristics of a “good blogger” namely,

(1) Trustworthiness--the perception that bloggers were not being influenced by outside sources, such as companies; (2) Expertise--the perception that certain fashion bloggers are experts on fashion, choosing only the best pieces of information to share with their readers; (3) Personal

Relevance to the readers--the fact that the readers personally relate to the blog/blogger; and (4)

Authenticity--the perception that the blogger’s persona was similar in both the online and offline environment. Applying the findings from the Clarke and Johnstone research to this current study, the four key elements are examined in the context of ten of the most influential fashion bloggers identified by the February, 2015, fashionista.com list – “The 20 Most Influential Personal Style

Bloggers Right Now” (Sherman, 2015). These blogs and their bloggers were selected because they have a reputation of working actively on increasing their influence and growing readership and subscribers, and materially benefit from sustaining themselves as fashion bloggers and as a business model, regardless of overall placement or ranking among the list of twenty. Generally, they do so by executing successful blog-business strategies that get their readers and subscribers to engage, comment, review, and/or purchase merchandise, and often do so through the use of fashion industry partnerships or merchant collaborations with major fashion brands.

Popular bloggers are generally perceived as being influential by having a large number of followers, which are also referred to as readers or subscribers. Influential fashion bloggers, or at least those that are perceived to have a significant degree of influence with their readership, do so in a variety of purposeful ways as a function of their blog content and components or features.

The influence is nurtured, grown and sustained by producing content in a variety of forms, which are often visually appealing, personally of interest to most readers, and presented within a

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framework of engaging interactive communications. The visual and narrative content often encompasses news from the fashion industry, clothing choices, personal style advice, presentation of specific items of clothing and accessories, discussion of trends in celebrity fashion or street fashion, as well as observations and insights on trends in various apparel markets, along with other lifestyle-related content.

Prospective blog subscribers and blog followers would be expected to more highly value these four key elements in the context of perceived influence than those who do not follow or subscribe on a regular basis. It is important to recognize, however, that the readers or followers may or may not rank these four elements -- trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity -- in the same exact order relative to personal influence. Regardless, in order to sustain a successful presence, the fashion blog and fashion blogger should assimilate at least one or more of the four key elements into their personal style blog. As a result, the audience of prospective readers or followers should be expected to at least recognize the presence of one or more of these four key elements to some measurable degree.

Much of the previous research relating to the identification of influential bloggers has been based on locating influential blogs or websites and studying the spread of influence among the sites themselves. More recent research on fashion blogging has focused on blogger’s motivations for writing, social networking effects, identity construction, and rise in popularity of the personal fashion blogger (Chittenden, 2010; Huang, Chou, & Lin, 2008; McQuarrie et al.,

2013; Pham, 2011; Rocamora, 2011; Schau & Gilly, 2003; Thorson & Rodgers, 2006).

The most noteworthy studies have found that readers of blogs with higher levels of user- generated content tend to view those blogs and bloggers as more influential, and more credible

(Huang et al., 2008), as well as more trustworthy as opinion leaders. This is in contrast with

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corporate bloggers and company blog content produced by a corporation (Cheong & Morrison,

2008).

Even though there is plenty of research concerning blogs and blogging, practically no research has been done in the area of fashion blog components or features which can be illustrative of the elements of influence, or descriptive of what components readers associate with influence, in terms of fashion blogs or personal style blogs. Such investigation could provide a better understanding of what blog or website components and features serve the blogger best in their wanting to exert influence on readers and sustain themselves over time.

Earlier studies focused on the development of virtual communities or networks, and highlighted consumer efforts to find like-minded readers or followers. The primary emphasis of these early studies were on peer-to-peer communities, and what are sometimes referred to as a horizontal operation of taste, wherein taste or aesthetic content serves to attract others who share similar preferences.

The objective of this current research on the identified four elements of influence, seeks to provide modern-day fashion bloggers with a better understanding of the four elements associated with blog influence and the bearing of influence on their readers. This is done through a combination of methods which includes an examination of objectively ranked “influential” personal style bloggers and use of a survey of representative fashion blog readers.

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Listed below are definitions of terms used throughout this study which may be helpful.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Blog is a discussion or informational website published on the Internet and typically consist of entries or posts; its content is displayed in a chronological order from most recent posts to oldest, on inception date. A web log, also known as a “blog” enables users to express their own views, personal experiences, and opinions about content topics (Daud, Khan, Malik,

2015).

Fashion blog is a web blog that covers a segment or segments of the fashion industry, clothing, and style. It can also serve to inform readers of specific items such as clothing and accessories or fashion trends in a variety of apparel markets, such as womenswear or menswear.

“The growth of fashion blogs allows every burgeoning fashionista to contribute their two cents to the conversation” (McCrea, 2013).

Blogosphere represents the collection of blogs and their interaction with one another

(Wapner, 2008). Blogs generally exist together in a connected community, such as the fashion blogger community, serving as a social networking service in which bloggers can publish and share their opinions with one another in the fashion blogosphere community.

Trustworthiness is the perception that bloggers were not being influenced by outside sources, such as companies (Clarke & Johnstone, 2012).

Expertise is the perception that certain fashion bloggers are experts on fashion; choosing only the best pieces of information to share with their readers (Clarke & Johnstone, 2012).

Personal Relevance is the perception to the readers – the fact that the readers personally relate to the blog/blogger (Clarke & Johnstone, 2012).

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Authenticity is the perception that the blogger’s persona was similar in both the online and offline environment (Clarke & Johnstone, 2012).

Word-of-mouth (WOM) is the influence of someone’s informal opinion about products and brands derived from consumer’s experiences (Sen & Lerman, 2007).

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Phrases or comments (positive or negative) launched on the Internet by potential, current, or returning consumers on a product or company (Hennig-

Thurau, Gwinner, Walks, & Gremler, 2004).

Microblogging is blogging, through which the user has space or size constraints, typically posting frequent brief messages about personal activities. An example would be “The Blonde

Salad” using Twitter to tweet about her daily activities and social events during Paris Fashion

Week.

Subscriber refers to a user who has subscribed to a website using an RSS feed, mailing list, or any other feature to receive updates from the website.

Follower (a.k.a. Readers) is someone who further subscribes to receive additional regular updates from the website as well as the source’s social media platforms like Twitter or

Instagram.

CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

Fashion bloggers and their associated weblogs produce and distribute content related to the personal style within the fashion industry. It is beneficial to understand whether fashion blogs, personal style bloggers and blog readers, prospective or otherwise, rely upon the same core elements of influence that are deemed imperative in any “good” blog, specifically; trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity (Clarke & Johnstone, 2012).

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The review of literature begins with a brief introduction to the “blogosphere” and the concepts of fashion blogs, bloggers, and blogging, and also briefly reviews vocation as a marketing strategy. The aim of this review to be able to differentiate between the types of fashion blogs and relate each to groupings of existing and prospective readers within the fashion industry. It is essential to consider the impact of blog content and features in the context of influence, along with the blogger personality themselves in the context of reader perceptions.

Fashion Bloggers

A fashion blogger covers fashion and style, producing content most often via a weblog digital platform accessible via the Internet. The blog’s coverage can include clothing and accessories, trends in various apparel markets, celebrity fashion choices, as well as street style trends. As a result, fashion bloggers often spend a vast amount of time each day reading other blogs, seeking out and aggregating obscure websites, and writing posts in attempt to provide relevant information to their own readers (Sedeke, 2012). There is not just one type or category of fashion blogger in today’s market. Readers often subscribe to a variety of fashion blogs, which can range from a personal style blog to a street style blog. Generally, there are established categories of fashion bloggers, each of which attracts a variety of readers, somewhat similar to fashion magazines on the grocery store shelves today.

Personal Style blogger--the personal style bloggers are the most popular of them all

(Luntrau, 2013). These bloggers post numerous outfits. There are not many pure personal style bloggers; most of them mix it up with shopping, décor, or lifestyle posts.

Street Style blogger--these fashion bloggers post inspiring looks while they are photographed on the streets. These bloggers are some of the most popular in the fashion blogosphere.

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Fashion News bloggers--also known as business of fashion bloggers; the majority of their posts are about fashion news, as well as covering different topics about the financial and business types of the fashion world.

Shopping bloggers--these shopping bloggers post about the latest trends and curate elegant collages with admirable pieces. However, these bloggers showcase their own personal styles from time to time.

Lifestyle bloggers--the fashion lifestyle bloggers mix fashion posts with lifestyle posts.

The lifestyle posts can include content about family, food, travel or décor.

General Fashion bloggers--these fashion bloggers post about everything, from looks, editorials, fashion news, and trends with a mixture of street style fashion every so often to beauty and shopping posts.

For the purpose of this study, the focus here is primarily on the Personal Style blog and

Personal Style blogger, as this is one of the more popular types of fashion bloggers today.

Personal Style Bloggers

For most bloggers, the goal is to build and sustain an interactive and engaged community in the context of a shared common interest or a specific topic. Posts or entries to a blog site are no longer solely produced as text messages. More recently, particularly in the context of fashion blogs, posts often include pictures, hyperlinks, videos, and other visual content. Chronicled narrative and visual content is the most common method of communication for many fashion blogs (Mawhinney, 2016), but all sorts of other content can be included at the blogger’s discretion and direction to motivate engagement by readers. For example, the personal style fashion blog Song of Style includes links to YouTube videos, which engages and informs a prospective reader visually by use of video.

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Rather than focusing on technical aspects, bloggers tend to focus on the salience of narrative structure, credibility, and interactivity (Lim & Yang, 2009). Similarly, fashion blogs are more viewed as a source of public opinion, and benefit more from visual displays of the actual use of fashion by the general public (Bollier & Racine, 2005). Embracing the interactive elements prevailing among many of the more modern social media platforms and making use of the advancements in digital technology will further take advantage of electronic word-of-mouth and enhance many bloggers degree of influence.

Regardless of industry category or subject matter, producing a successful blog means devoting a significant amount of time and effort to create engaging, original, unique and relevant content. Bloggers seek to create appealing page layouts that readers can navigate easily, along with producing post which are engaging and favorably perceived and valued by followers. These blogs are likely to be more highly valued by readers as well. Despite the editorial challenges, personal style blogs have managed to find their niche among fashion bloggers, and are providing style content deemed valuable enough to attract an ever-increasing number of readers, followers and subscribers. As a result, fashion bloggers are also developing their skills in content creation, with some are even able to make the transition to becoming part of the fashion journalism profession.

Personal style fashion blogs tend to dominate the virtual fashion market. Wherein, bloggers “enjoy the attention of users due to the platform’s personal and interactive approach versus the standardized treatment through mainstream media” (Sedeke, 2012). Some fashion blogs are popular because they offer an alternative opinion on current trends for those wishing to actively create or consume fashion without concern for costs (Sedeke, 2012).

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Consumers are exposed to fashion products and lifestyle trends merely through trolling the fashion blogosphere. Anyone with a computer, tablet, or smartphone and access to the

Internet can find a whole range of fashion products and lifestyle choices. This ease of Internet access enables conversations to take place and trends to be observed, adopted, and shared among individuals. Blogging can be a conversational activity that creates a community or manifests an existing community. The ready access to the Internet has removed geographic boundaries, has transcended age cohorts, and eliminated barriers of socioeconomic status relative to consumers’ access to fashion.

Blog Content and Influence

Sedeke’s (2012) research study, “Effective Fashion Blogs and Their Impact on Current

Fashion Industry” explored the area of contemporary popular fashion blogs. They were divided into three general parts: 1) identity of those bloggers, 2) culture of space of those blogs, and

3) their actual or potential use as a tool of fashion marketing and brand management.

Corporations and fashion brands now tend to view blogging as a low-cost form of communication where they can reach hundreds or thousands of consumers for a very small investment of time and money.

Sedeke’s study examined the identity of authors and the culture of space figuratively surrounding blogs. The study focused on the culture and content of blogs, and examined topics, writing style, graphic layout, the segmentation of elements into rubrics, the character of associated photographs and videos, as well as nature and level of interaction and engagement with the audience through comments, discussions, content sharing, and presence of those blogs on social networking sites.

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Through the examination of the mechanics of fashion blogs, Sedeke revealed that most of the topics found to be highly engaging and appealing are generated by the blogger’s everyday life. The topics apply to events the blogger actually participated in, or persons who the blogger actually met and spoke with, and lifestyle activities where they were actively involved. The presentation and communication of styles were found to be communicated in a variety of ways, with a majority being presented in an informal way, such as by use of trenchant humor, colorful expressions, metaphors and idioms (Sedeke, 2012).

Similarly, it would seem reasonable to assume that today’s personal style fashion bloggers are likely to be considered influential by their readers as a result of the blogger’s tone or temperament. Thus, one would expect to hear readers or followers using descriptors such as sincere, conversational, confessional, journalistic, or confrontational in describing the culture and/or content of blogs. These descriptions of engaging and appealing content are also found in the larger collection of blogs outside of the fashion world.

Individual approach, dominance of visual content, unique approach to fashion and style, and rich commenting sections are key content features in fashion blogs (Sedeke, 2012). The inclusion of rich commenting sections demonstrates the two-way conversation or interactive component, which many readers are actively seeking and find most appealing. This interactivity allows for their own viewpoints to be expressed, even if those views contradict the blogger or other members of the same community of readers. The conversations are visible and shared among readers and followers within the immediate community of subscribers, as well as readily available to anyone else with a similar interest.

Another important aspect of Sedeke’s research is related to its insight into a reader’s perceived value derived from the information and knowledge provided from interaction with a

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blogger who is viewed as identifiable and trustworthy. Blogs, and personal style blogs in particular, often give an audience direct access to the blogger, and what they are thinking and possibly feeling. By providing direct access and interactivity, the blogger and reader can communicate with one another and share passions, interests and opinions. Fashion blogging is not only ideally suited to readers interested in acquiring fashion goods or developing a personal style, it is also well suited to building commercial relationships on a business-to-business level with industry suppliers, strategic partners, distributors, and other like-minded fashion professionals. These connections offer opportunities for cooperation and collaboration among fashion industry businesses and fashion brands.

Prospective Blog Readers

Members of the demographic segment known as “Millennials” or “Generation Y” who were born between 1981-1997 tend to be highly aware of fashion trends and brands (Fry, 2016).

These members pride themselves on their individuality and often shop accordingly (Mincer,

2014). This behavior is supported by a survey conducted by Youth (2015), a marketing agency specializing in social media, in the New College Orientation-Class of 2015. The survey revealed that 66% of the 50,000 members of Generation Y (college freshmen) are influenced by friends and would check out stores or products that their friends had checked out first. Of the 50,000 members, 43% liked over 20 brand pages on Facebook, a social media platform also adopted by many of the most influential fashion bloggers to reach readers and attract followers.

Given smartphone proliferation and improved Internet accessibility, Millennials in a college environment also tend to consume content on multiple platforms in order to develop their personal style and individuality. They are typically not interested in the opinions of those outside

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their peer group. However, the rise of influential fashion bloggers is credited for creating reviews and recommendations valued by Millennials (Brown, 2015).

Of all sources studied, fashion blogs and message boards hold more influence over

Millennials than Pinterest or Facebook across all fashion categories, with 63% of followers looking to fashion blogs and message boards for inspiration in at least one fashion category versus the 54% who look to Facebook (Hoffman, 2013). Fashion blogs and message boards are strongest with respect to cosmetics (36%), special occasion clothing (34%) casual dress (34%) and accessories (33%) (Hoffman, 2013). Although shopping is an important free time activity for nearly 80% of Millennials, they are no more likely to view fashion and beauty as something very important to them (Hoffman. 2013). Millennials are almost twice as likely to be social shoppers as conventional female social media users of all ages, so brands need to optimize their social media platform content for viral sharing (Hoffman, 2013). The content and quality of content is seen as the major driver for readers to visit blogs, particularly female readers.

This work focuses on Millennials, as these survey participants are found to more often be living a part of their daily lives online – and nowhere more so than in terms of fashion and lifestyle trends. This generational cohort embraces the camera and video loving demographic that post outfits, clothing and inspiration on the Internet on a daily basis, using a variety of digital platforms as a way of sharing ideas and opinions. With their smartphones and other digital devices, Millennials are making fashion and lifestyle trends more accessible to more people more often.

Fashion Industry Influence

According to Nambisan and Watt (2011), online product communities established by retailers enable customers to interact with the company as well as amongst themselves. Online

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communities are a social space wherein relationships and ties are formed among the members and a common set of values and norms are established and shared.

Blogs are also becoming an important tool in the fashion industry itself (Dunlop, 2010;

Schaer, 2011). Fashion blogging has become a prolific Internet phenomenon, offering opportunities to all Internet users, including fashion industry businesses and corporate brands.

Company blogs can be used to advertise products and used for two-way communication with consumers and customers. This has surely had an effect on consumers and fashion consumption.

Vineyard’s (2014) report on “The Relationship Between Fashion Blogs and Intention to

Purchase and Word of Mouth Behavior” was a useful study due to its threefold purpose. Overall, it sought to determine if blog readers are inclined to browse for products based on utilitarian motivation, hedonic motivation, or both. First, it explored the factors that shape readers’ intention to browse products on blogs. Three utilitarian motivations (convenience, information availability, and product selection) and three hedonic motivations (trend discovery, socialization, and adventure) were identified. Next, it examined the impact of those three utilitarian and three hedonic motivations on triggering a reader’s intention. Finally, it attempted to answer the question of whether intention to browse products influences purchase and word-of-mouth intentions. The results pointed to a conclusion that “specific aspects trigger utilitarian motivations (convenience, product selection, information availability) and hedonic motivation

(adventure) influence one to browse products on blogs.” The study also found that “utilitarian motivation was the strongest determinant for browsing,” and “browsing is significantly and positively linked to purchasing intention and word-of-mouth intention” (Vineyard, 2014).

Vineyard’s work is valuable to both researchers and marketers based upon its examination of underlying motivations of the blog reader’s experience in relation to corporate

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fashion blogs in particular. However, as the author indicated, there is still a shortage of significant research that directly explores consumerism in conjunction with blogging and its influences on consumer purchase behavior. This contemporary study contributes to helping to partially answer the question through its exploratory examination of those components of a fashion blog that are perceived as being fundamentally influential to fashion blog readers.

Blogging Business Considerations

Fashion brands and fashion blogs do not exist in a vacuum; in fact, they strongly depend and influence each other, although not directly (Sedeke, 2012). One leading fashion blogger fitting this description is Chiara Ferragni.

Chiara Ferragni, the fashion star behind The Blonde Salad, was the subject of a Harvard

University case study on the business of blogging. As of 2015, Ferrangi employed 14 people, and pulled in an estimated $9 million. She started small and grew organically. She is reportedly worth millions today personally, but Ferragni began posting outfit pictures to social media sites such as Flickr. She launched her blog in 2009 with her then-boyfriend and current business partner Riccardo Pozzoli, and that endeavor turned into a multi-million dollar business within five years. The Harvard Business School study indicated that a blogger’s cut of the profit from an endorsement deal could be only a relatively small percentage. However, Chiara’s own shoe line is a hit. This additional effort required managing creative control over the collection and actually putting her face on the brand. The blogger’s cut was only about 10% of revenue from royalties (Garnsworthy, 2015).

The Garnsworthy study found that if the blogger gains enough popularity, along with other characteristics, fashion brands would actually be willing to pay them to attend events. In

Chiara’s case, it is proof that the bloggers are often more popular than some celebrities. The

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intention would be that the popular blogger would be posting often about the events and activities; thereby providing the fashion brand with a low-cost and narrowly focused means of promotional marketing for the products offered and influencing the blogger’s followers and subscribers.

Naturally, it is reasonable to expect that the more followers a blogger has, the more money they can receive from such strategic partnerships. In 2014, Chiara was charging $30,000 to $50,000 to participate in or host an event (Garnsworthy, 2015). Additionally, for Chiara’s blog, she can provide brands and individuals the means with which to contextualize 167,000

Instagram-followers (theblondesalad) as a large potential audience ripe for influence.

There are several ways to earn money other than just attending or hosting fashion events.

Bloggers often earn most of their income through website advertising and strategic partnerships with brands. Another source of income for the fashion blogger can be in the form of associations or affiliations with other bloggers or affiliation with product websites by way of shared links or hyperlinks. They are then able to take a small cut of every sale made when readers click on a link or purchase a product featured on that website. Today, Chiara’s main revenue comes largely through a combination of advertisements on the website, brand partnerships, hosting events, and sales from her own shoe collection (Garnsworthy, 2015).

Another revelation from the study was that Chiara’s success appears to have paralleled the rise of Instagram. Instagram is a community of more than 400 million users who capture and share their photographic moments on the digital platform. Chiara’s use of visual images appears to be a key to her increased success and expanded influence. As mentioned previously, posted pictures and images from fashion blog posts, where the blogger themselves demonstrate actual use of the product, tend represent trustworthiness and authenticity to followers.

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After Instagram became a hit in 2013, The Blonde Salad’s (Chiara’s) digital strategy shifted from the conventional strategy of combining or linking website content (blog) to her social media (microblogging) posts, to separating the website content from Chiara’s social media posts. While she continued to post daily outfit photographs and daily life activities to Instagram, her team began planning editorial content weeks in advance for placement only on the Blonde

Salad’s website--theblondesalad.com (Garnsworthy, 2015).

By investing in editorial staff and content, Chiara’s team is hoping to build a destination that is recognized as an independent digital magazine separate from its founder, Chiara Ferragni.

The Blonde Salad is much more than a blog today, it’s a real source of inspiration and style for millions of people in Italy and around the world. Chiara Ferragni collaborates today with the major Fashion Houses, she appears in the most read magazines, she is the creative director of her shoe line which is entirely Made in Italy and she has been named by Business of Fashion as one of the most influential personalities of the international fashion world (“Blonde Salad”, 2016).

While The Blonde Salad’s audience started off as teenage girls interested in Chiara’s cool lifestyle, today Chiara has gained a lot more credibility in the fashion industry as a result of her own maturity and evolved expertise. Her audience has changed as well. Chiara’s cultivation of her own image and her attention to securing mutually beneficial product endorsement deals appears to have actually enhanced her perceived trustworthiness and authenticity. As an indirect result, The Blonde Salad has a sustained following of over 6,600 followers on Twitter, 1,230,000 likes on Facebook, and over 200,000 followers on Instagram. In addition, the Blonde Salad’s

YouTube channel has over 58,000 subscribers. Chiara is continuing to make intelligent moves to further her digital presence and influence not just in the fashion blogger world, but also in the fashion industry itself, because she is also developing as a “cover girl” fashion model. Her spreads include Lucky Magazine (U.S.), Vogue (Spain), ELLE (Netherlands) and InStyle

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(Germany), just to name a few. Garnsworthy’s study was undertaken in light of the business environment surrounding fashion blogs and their direct and indirect influence on consumers’ behavior through Chiara’s evolving relationships with fashion designers, merchants, and retailers.

Building upon Havard’s case study example on the Blonde Salad and Garnsworthy’s work, this study will attempt to evaluate the blog components of ten fashion blogs that are objectively considered “influential” based upon fashionista.com in an effort to understand whether the content and composition connect to perceived influence upon readers using the four key elements.

Fashion Consumer Context

Given the fashion industry’s quick pace and seasonal cycles, reliance on brand image, and use of established relationships, fashion blogs have emerged as a most effective mechanism to supplement a firms’ strategic public relations and marketing efforts. “Fashion marketing uses common techniques of advertising and market research with the additional tools specialized for the fashion industry such as product development, branding, pricing, and forecasting” (Sedeke,

2012, p. 9).

Blogging can be used as a supplement to the common industry tools because products and designs can be exposed to large groups of followers of trusted fashion blogs, as well as personal style blogs. Word-of-mouth marketing campaigns can be built from a combination of brand fans, email blasts to subscribers, consumer’s posted reviews, web site page views and web-linkage counts, and a company’s own blog and website hits. When such efforts are combined with established relationships among fashion designers, merchants, and retailers, influence is extended in the form of additional brand exposure. Not unlike traditional techniques

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used in advertising and market research, “The network of blogs (both internal and external) is performing an important role in creating trends, sharing news and opinions, and spreading information via word-of-mouth” (Ahn, Kim, & Park, 2010; Sedeke, 2012, p. 9).

Fashion bloggers, for their part, often post new updates at least once a day, making their sites ideal sources for rapid public relations and constant outreach for their industry partners.

Such constant activity is ideally suited for their business purposes because fashion product development and branding move at a consistently fast pace too. Highly evolved fashion marketers understand how to “position themselves to benefit from fundamental changes that are occurring in the ways people decide on which products and services to consume, and how they actually consume them” (Mir & Zaheer, 2012; Sedeke, 2012, p. 9).

Consumers are increasingly looking to bloggers and their “cousin” social media microblogging platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to continue the pace of communicating fashion trends and lifestyle choices. They are looking to fashion blogs to reference products in their truest form; being worn and accessorized by a relatable human -- the blogger. “Consumers believe more in the product-related content and information provided which other consumers generate on social networking sites, multimedia sites, blogs and so on, than they do the producer or company produced content, despite being personally unknown or unrelated to the user” (Mir & Zaheer, 2012, p. 11).

Most bloggers are untrained professionals compared to media personnel such as traditional journalists. Photographs, supplemented with detailed descriptions and advice or opinions, allow the blogger’s audience to see a product on a subject in a personally relevant setting, thereby encouraging online “two-way communication that incorporates comments” and serves to “encourage other followers” (Lea-Greenwood, 2013). In essence, fashion blogs

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incorporate a two-way symmetrical model, which “can be seen as understanding a public’s opinion and attitudes and then using communications to accomplish mutually beneficial outcomes” (Dozier, Grunig & Grunig, 1995).

A Fashion Blog’s Accessibility

Accessibility is synonymous with the evolving number of tools used to connect with readers including the microblogging and social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram,

Facebook, and LinkedIn, wherein follower count serves as a significant indicator of influence to the general public and blog readers. Fashion bloggers are often coined “influential” based on a successful following across such social media (Thornley, 2014). Anyone can start a fashion blog; it requires no formal training, experience, or background in fashion. Further, it requires very little capital to start. WordPress.com is an example of one of the easiest ways to create a “free” blog site. Millions of bloggers tell their stories on blogs every day through such platforms. McDonald and Ounis (2008) pointed out that an “effective” blog is simply a blog that appears on the top of search engines; thus enabling it to be discovered by random users using search engines (Google,

Firefox, Internet Explorer) while searching for information of mutual interest on a subject.

However, the concept of accessibility examined here is in the context of the blog feature that facilitates the reader’s and subscriber’s ability to maintain and sustain their following of the blog site and/or individual blogger. Whether the followers are regular viewers of the personal style blog on the web, or intermittent readers on a smartphone, the character, style, and tone of the conversation and content is clearly important to maintaining and growing a following. When someone simply comes across a particular fashion blog, due only to its large following, they are more likely to engage with the fashion blog on a more frequent basis if they regard the blogger as authentic and can personally relate to the content and find the blog or website to be a convenient

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channel through which they can readily interact. The recent rapid proliferation of social media platforms make it increasingly easier for more people to interact today than five years ago.

Therefore, the number and types of fashion blogs followed by a person can be a proxy for personal relevance of fashion blogs. As a consequence of sustained engagement with a particular personal style blog or fashion blog, sustained engagement is likely to have an impact on the diffusion of the particular fashion blogger’s views and opinions, as well as potential repercussions on a reader’s purchasing behavior.

When tracking metrics such as unique views and clicks on a website,

the size of a website’s visitors or followers is positively correlated with visitors’ behavioral depth of content consumption on the website—that is, the number of unique visitors that a website attracts is positively associated with the average number of pages downloaded by these unique visitors (I-Ping, Chun-Yao, & Chien-Wen, 2010).

More page views coincide with more potential opportunities for the readers to click on either an advertisement or embedded links. Product placements supplemented with links, either to the product’s designer or available retailer, is a feature not unique to fashion blogging. It is intentionally used by bloggers and built into such websites to drive consumers’ buying behavior.

Major fashion brands and retailers are all capitalizing on the Internet to not only provide valuable product information to prospective customers, but also to make blunt recommendations and actually allow for the immediate purchase of their fashion products and services.

Bloggers who mention products expose their audiences to various designers and manufacturers, as well as vendors. An assortment of brands enhances “search engine optimization for, and improve traffic to the representative company websites” which are normally packed with information (Pal & Kapur, 2010). When done in a manner worthy of audience attention and trust, a blogger’s personal style allows the fashion industry to be more

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transparent, relatable, and accessible to the masses in an interactive manner, thereby contributing to the ongoing and sustained conversations that bloggers seek encourage.

“Fashion bloggers have emerged as universal brand ambassadors, fashion trendsetters, and market influencers who have the ability to increase brand exposure and audience awareness for designers in the fashion industry” (Thornley, 2014, p.59).

In “The Megaphone Effect: Taste and Audience in Fashion Blogging” the authors studied fashion bloggers who have succeeded in gaining a mass audience, and found that the Internet has made it possible to accumulate “cultural capital” through public displays of taste. Once a blogger has established a large audience through repeated displays of good taste, the audience begins to attract the attention of the fashion industry, and then the blogger is often offered social and economic resources, further augmenting his or her audience (McQuarrie, Miller & Phillips,

2013).

Fashion bloggers are often coined “influential” based on a critical mass of followers across social mediums, and their sustained ability to gain readers and followers. Whereas, number of readers, subscribers, and followers serves as a common measure of influence. Given the evolution and growth of social media platforms and associated digital technology, the current study seeks to understand whether accessibility is correspondingly significant in addition to the four key elements of trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity. However, this current study is confined to the four key elements and whether they are readily identifiable and discernible by readers of fashion blogs from a website or blog and would potentially influence behavior. Examples of reader behavior might include making similar fashion product selections or choices presented by a blog or blogger, or adopting personal style recommendations of a blogger, and potentially purchasing a product directly from the blog or blogger’s website.

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Key Elements of Fashion Blog Influence

It is assumed that any influential and sustainable personal style blog, as a subcategory of fashion blogs, should readily exhibit at least one or more of the four elements in order to be viewed as exerting influence with readers and thereby aid in growing its subscriber base and number of followers. Further, we would expect blog readers to similarly value these four elements in the context of perceived influence. We recognize that the readers may or may not rank the four elements in the same order relative to degree of influence. However, in order to sustain a flourishing blog presence, the personal style blog should seek integrate the four key elements into their blog or website to some extent. Further, existing or prospective readers or subscribers should be aware of the use of these elements to some measurable degree within the context of the blog or website.

The key elements of influence examined were trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity. These elements are believed to be requisite in establishing any degree of influence with an audience of readers and subscribers, as well as any prospective readers.

Trustworthiness

The most successful and influential fashion bloggers, including personal style bloggers, experience hundreds of page views each day, which come from both new and existing followers.

They often arrive directly to the fashion blogger’s website by way of search engines or indirectly from hyperlinks and links from a variety of social networking microblogging platforms.

Readers not only look to the personal style blog and fashion blog site for product updates, trends, and advice, they are often also searching for a sundry of other things, such as:

• A distinct voice or style and identity. • Posts that are of value to them personally. • Unique content in all its forms. • Simple easy-to-use website design elements.

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• Ability to develop genuine, real relationships. • Fostering of a community. • Frequency. • Linkages.

Readers must be able to trust the fashion and style blogs they read, similar to trusting any other traditional means of communication or information source, like newspaper and television advertisements. The fashion blogger is only able to achieve large numbers of followers and sustained continuous views and engagement on their blog site if the community of readers and followers continue to trust them, and are willing and able to spread the information via word-of- mouth or electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM).

Bloggers often see themselves as truth tellers in a world where the truth is hard to come by. “What we offer is a personal point of view,” said Lesley Scott. “I love magazines, but they can come across as corporate. Also, you get the speed [with blogs]. People like the snarky elements.” “If you’re a junior writer at Vogue, you can’t write a scathing review of Oscar de La

Renta” said Kathryn Finney of The Budget Fashionista. “Whereas, as a blogger, I have a lot more flexibility because my boss is me.”

The reader’s perception of the value of a blog site positively influences the intention to revisit a blog and adopt its ideas (Cheng & Fang, 2015). Trust and developing a genuine real relationship with followers are factors that clearly can be seen as positively influencing readers to revisit, and also embrace the advice or recommendations of a fashion blogger. Consumers trust the recommendations more often when they perceive the opinions and advice is genuine and not commercially motivated i.e., not trying to hard-sell products or services. Typically, when blog readers trust a fashion blog or personal style blog, the persuasion potential and frequency of revisits increases.

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In the context of consumer behavior, fashion has been classified as a high-involvement purchase with a strong association to one’s personal identity. Because of this high-involvement purchase behavior, a consumer’s information-seeking behavior within the buying cycle naturally increases. Fashion blogs are well suited to be a “go-to” source of information related to fashion products, personal style, and for that matter, lifestyle advice. That being said, blog readers often do fulfill their need for information and search for confirmation from bloggers (Kim & Hong,

2011).

According to Cheng and Fang (2015), trust clearly reduces uncertainty and provides expectations for a satisfactory blog experience, and thus, positively influences the behavioral intentions of blog readers to revisit the blog and adopt its ideas. Cheng and Fang confirmed that the perception of the value of a blog positively influences the intention to revisit a blog.

Moreover, it confirmed that blog involvement affects not only the intention of a reader to revisit a blog, but also the reader’s intention to adopt its viewpoints.

Blogs provide useful and new information often suited to the user’s immediate needs. A common example found among the selected sample of personal style blogs is that they all appear to provide users with a source of daily inspiration through constant contact and accessible exhibition of relevant content. Providing valuable information through relevant content and images to readers is vital for bloggers because it persuades the readers to accept blogger recommendations as well as build trust (Cheng & Fang, 2015). Photographs and graphic images, which readers find appealing and attractive, and that are secondarily intended to provide inspiration, may also serve to enhance trust among readers and subscribers.

Similar to previous studies linking blog content and the perception of trustworthiness, this study considered the perceived value of the bloggers’ content, including posted graphics and

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images, as representative elements of trustworthiness and also authenticity. These two elements also were considered in the context of the blogger’s range of activity on social media platforms, as well as within the blog’s layout/website features, as well as other ecommerce components including any shopping opportunities that where present.

Expertise

Experts in the fashion industry are likely to know the history of fashion, how fashion has changed throughout time and are constantly scanning the environment to keep up on the latest fashion trends by through reading magazines, monitoring fashion-weeks around the world

(online and in person), along with giving their own opinions on fashion trends of others. This has an impact on their own personal style, helping to establish themselves as a trendsetter or fashion- forward thinker, which others may aspire to copy or otherwise adopt. These innovators often rise to the level of spokesperson on fashion trends, new products and fashion industry happenings.

Approximately 20 million blogs can be found as being associated with the topic of fashion and lifestyle, thereby representing one of the most popular subject matter topics of interest in the blogosphere (Rudolph, 2013). Hundreds of thousands of readers follow a wide variety of blogs every day, helping transform the people writing the blogs into idols and icons in their respective fields of expertise. In Rudolph’s work, three blogs were analyzed and served as case studies to assess successful fashion and lifestyle blogs. Through the framework on how to establish a successful blog, issues related to marketing, potential sources of revenues, creation and style of blogs were found to be critical to establishing perceived expertise among blog readers, as well as followers.

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Based on similar studies regarding bloggers’ expertise, Rudolph’s study took into consideration the blog components of photography, along with traditional press citations, and collaboration with other bloggers, as evidence of expertise for a fashion blogger.

Expertise, for the purposes of this study, is considered as the perception that certain bloggers are experts on fashion and choose only the best pieces of information to share with their readers (Clarke & Johnstone, 2012). This current study examined components of the influential blogs, focusing on the fashion blogger’s collaborations (with retailers, designers, etc.), press citations (i.e. Fashion Week), as well as videos and photography the blogger posts to be the most representative of the element of expertise.

Personal Relevance

Recalling that fashion is typically a high-involvement purchase with a strong association to one’s personal identity, and that a consumer often seeks information during the buying cycle, consumer behavior is considered relevant to fashion blogs, personal style blogs and lifestyle blogs. Each category is effectively acting as a source of information related to product choices and a consumer’s adoption of personal style trends. Readers do tend to fulfill their need for product information and confirmation before their decision to purchase from fashion blogger’s sites (Kim & Hong, 2011).

However, as the proliferation of fashion blogs continues, they may be more influential at a collective level (blogosphere) rather than at the individual level (blog). Consumer fashion purchase behavior and fashion trend adoption behavior is not likely to be a direct result of a consumer reading just one blog, but more likely the result of a consumer reading several blogs in order to maintain or confirm their social identity and behavior. This social activity often lends itself to the development of virtual communities and the use of the interactive blog or website

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components to discuss trends and review the opinions of like-minded others. The proliferation smartphones and accessibility of microblogging platforms makes rapid peer-to-peer communities easier to establish for bloggers, particularly among Millennials where such speedy dissemination of product or lifestyle content and opinions also serves to attract others who share similar preferences.

High involvement is said to exist when a product is linked strongly with central values held by an individual (Bloch, 1981; DeBruicker, 1979; Ostrom & Brock, 1968; Tyebjee, 1979).

Fashion is generally considered a high-involvement consumer purchase activity, therefore this high involvement activity implies greater need for personal relevance when seeking information and adopting recommendations. Apart from narrowly focused product specification blogs, personal style and lifestyle blogs are a readily accessible resource to consumers for social comparison as well as for the purpose of managing one’s self-concept.

For fashion blogs, three factors that appear to be present to substantiate personal relevance are identified. The first factor is a blogger’s skill and ability to connect with people having similar interests: peer-to-peer communities of like-minded others. The second is interactivity; blog readers can communicate with the blogger and other blog readers, thus demonstrating the interactive element of blogs and the potential for electronic word-of-mouth

(eWOM) proliferation (Kent, 2008). Lastly, because the Internet is global, blogs have the power to reach a mass audience because of the increasingly accessible character of the Internet, and anyone with a desire and a device can readily join the conversation. As a result of improved accessibility, people who are searching for fashion products and personal style guidance are more likely to easily find similar-minded individuals that possess similar interests like themselves. This factor serves to illustrate why fashion brands and retailers are paying closer

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attention to developing strategic relationships with fashion bloggers and increasingly consider them to be influential, as well as fashion opinion leaders (Kent, 2008).

The current study examined the personal relevance of the fashion blog through common components of influential blogs including such attributes as looks/inspirations, outfits and lifestyle, together with décor/interior design blog content. The survey of participants was aimed at identifying readers’ perceptions of personal relevance through a line of inquiry into their knowledge of fashion bloggers, as well as accessibility and use of popular social media microblogging platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Personal relevance was examined in the context of the fashion blog reader, wherein participants were queried on their recognition of fashion blogs in general and the identified sample of influential blogs, in the context of isolating features among them which they find personally relevant and induce them to follow as an occasional reader or actual regular subscriber.

Authenticity

In 2011, The New York Times published an article about the rising influence of bloggers focusing mainly on fashion and modern art (Kurutz, 2011). Being seen as fashion obsessed, bloggers have evolved “into tastemakers and savvy marketers” according to fashion bloggers who are known for expertise in their field, but preserve their independence and nativeness making them more approachable (Rudolph, 2013). Kate Reardon, fashion editor for Tatler

Magazine, suggested that the audience is more interested in “real life people,” as readers and followers can better identify with them (Jackson & Shaw, 2006).

Writing a successful blog, as well as having a management staff or team in the back office, allows the blogger to move beyond the quintessential mechanics of selling paid advertisements as a source of revenue to sustain the operations. Fashion and lifestyle bloggers

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can earn far more revenue by collaborating with brands, hosting events, and writing sponsored posts, as previously evidenced by Chiara Ferragni, the fashion expert behind The Blonde Salad’s blog site.

The common elements critical to success of a lifestyle blogger have not been covered as widely as those linked to specific blogs, and examination of the individual bloggers. Rudolph’s

(2013) study attempted to some degree to explore the specific components of a successful fashion and lifestyle blog. Three components of blogging were determined to play a role in the success of a fashion blog--the business creation, marketing, and the benefits received by the blogger. However, this study was focused more on developing an understanding of the business of blogging, as opposed to the influence of blogging. Rudolph’s research did expose gaps in previous findings of how a fashion and lifestyle blog becomes successful from a business perspective. It also provided a broad business framework on how to create a successful fashion and lifestyle blog. The relevant portion of Rudolph’s research was its recognition of several key components of an influential fashion blog through evaluation of the blogger’s authentic voice and communications, as substantiated by examination of blog content.

This current study examined samples of blog content and the quintessential components of the influential blogs, specifically the “About Me” and “Contact” components, along with the blogger’s editorial and narrative content (i.e., travel experiences and product reviews) to exemplify authenticity. This evaluation of the influential blogs was coupled with participant’s perceptions of authenticity based upon similar component features of influential blogs. Due to practical constraints, appraising authenticity was largely focused on the readers’ perception of the blogger’s persona.

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The ten influential personal style fashion blogs selected for this research study were examined and evaluated in terms of their common blog components on features and in terms of the four core elements: trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity to readers.

Common blog components that are representative of influence were compared with survey results which were designed to evaluate a readers’ perception of the four elements in the context of their own experience with fashion blogs.

Based on the reviewed research, fashion bloggers have evolved into a significant source of influence for consumers, as well as being seen as having increased relevance in the fashion industry at large. Content, as well as two-way conversations and interactive relationships with readers and subscribers, are relied upon by fashion bloggers to maintain and sustain their influence and enhance their followings. The examination and evaluation of influential bloggers make obvious the need for assimilation of the four key elements to some degree. Further, making fashion and lifestyle accessible in the form of modern-day blogs and prevailing microblogging platforms, permits fashion bloggers to exert influence on their followers and also serves to sustain them as a business model within the highly competitive industry fashion.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Through content evaluation and analysis and survey research, this exploratory study sought to answer the following research questions:

1. In the context of blog content, what components of fashion blogs are most

likely associated with influence on readers?

2. Do the components built into influential fashion blogger’s weblog content

embody the elements of (1) trustworthiness, (2) expertise, (3) personal

relevance and (4) authenticity?

3. Can a blogger’s influence be readily identified through a blog reader’s

experiences and their own perceptions of the four key elements of (1)

trustworthiness (2) expertise (3) personal relevance and (4) authenticity?

4. Do the four elements commonly embodied in fashion blogger’s content

ultimately relate to readers’ perception of influence?

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This study seeks to understand whether the four key elements of trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance, and authenticity are readily identifiable and discernible by readers of fashion blogs by way of the most popular blog features and components, and whether the recognized components impact or influence readers’ behavior. Examples of readers’ behavior might include making fashion product selections or adopting personal style recommendations of a blogger. The ten blog sites in the sample set were followed by the author for a three-month period prior to the evaluation and analysis. The assessment of the blog sites resulted in the identification of sixteen common blog components found to be commonplace among the ten influential personal style blogs examined in the study. The research here is narrowly focused on investigating the four key elements of influence in the context of fashion blogs which have already been objectively identified as the most “influential” personal style blogs. The survey is built on the four key elements reconciled from the Clarke and Johnstone (2012) study, “The

Influence of Fashion Blogs on Consumers.” This study involved the administration of a questionnaire among college-level students, located at Kent State University’s Fashion School, with the purpose of evaluating the perceptions of a prospective blog reader based on the identified four key elements of influence and within the context of fashion blogs.

Content Analysis of Fashion Bloggers

The fashion bloggers were selected from fashionista.com’s “The 20 Most Influential

Personal Style Blogger Right Now,” published February 2, 2015. This list was selected in light of the editor’s criteria of how the bloggers were selected. The editor chose to focus on those who write more about personal style than anything else, which meant leaving out strict lifestyle and

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photography only bloggers. The list also takes international bloggers into consideration, since the

Internet is global. It also narrowed its list to blogs that cover womenswear more regularly than menswear (Sherman, 2015). In general terms, the following were considered in fashionista.com’s rankings of influence:

1. Social media followers as well as website traffic.

2. Brand extensions.

3. The “It Factor” – a discussion with fashion industry insiders about whom advertisers

love right now, and who is moving the most products via affiliate links (Sherman,

2015).

4. Google News searches.

The list of twenty was paired down to ten based upon subjectively evaluating each of the twenty in an effort to identify the communal factors and similar components among them. This was undertaken through reviewing the home page blog features, and the multiple drop-down menu links at the top of each homepage or landing page.

The ten blogs in the sample set were followed by this author for a three-month period prior to the evaluation and identification of the sixteen most common blog components which were isolated from among the ten blogs.

The table below identifies the sample set of ten personal style blogs, in no particular rank-order, selected from the list of the twenty most influential fashion bloggers, as identified by the February, 2015, fashionista.com list.

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Table 1.

Sample Set of Ten Personal Style Blogs

Fashion Blogger Fashion Blog 1 Chiara Ferragni The Blonde Salad

2 Aimee Song Song of Style

3 Wendy Nguyen Wendy’s Lookbook

4 Kristina Bazan Kayture

5 Julie Sarinana Sincerely Jules

6 Rumi Neely Fashion Toast

7 Nicole Warne Gary Pepper Girl

8 Blair Eadie Atlantic-Pacific

9 Julia Engel Gal Meets Glam

10 Shea Marie Peace, Love Shea

There are reportedly 18.9 million women who write blogs, according to the Pew

Research Center. For the purposes of this study, only female bloggers were used due to an overwhelming majority of the online fashion blogs in the blogosphere being produced by females. The difference between genders in the blogosphere is, however, somewhat balanced in that women make up about 50.9% (Sysomos, 2010). More importantly, 28% of women are what are called “social shoppers”— social networking women whose buying decisions are influenced by the brands and products that their friends use (Hoffman, 2013).

Because of the global nature of the Internet, there appears to be a diversity of ethnicities among fashion bloggers. The blogger database, Fohr Card, reported in 2014 that an estimated

31% of its top 100 influencers were Asian, Hispanic, or African-American (Sherman, 2015).

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Diversity of ethnicities was not deemed to be a significant feature in selecting the sample of ten influential fashion blogs.

Exploratory Study

This current study is narrowly focused on exploring the key elements of influence in the context of fashion blogs identified as “influential” personal style blogs. The framework for this examination is built on the four core elements reconciled from Clarke and Johnstone’s (2012) study, “The Influence of Fashion Blogs on Consumers.” Their study did not make any observations regarding blogger’s gender or ethnicity, nor differentiate between genders or ethnicities. This study does not differentiate in terms of ethnicity either, but does differentiate the sample in terms of gender and specifically evaluates only female bloggers for the reasons previously discussed.

Once the ten personal style bloggers were selected from fashionista.com’s list, each of the blogger’s websites was analyzed to compare and contrast the various blog components featured on the websites. The study looked at the blogger’s homepage, tabs on the homepage, and the dropdown menus featured on the homepage. The examination disclosed several similar components on most of the most influential fashion bloggers, however some differences among certain components proved important, as not all the bloggers had the same exact components or features even though they were all deemed as influence by fashionista.com. It was resolved that there are sixteen commonplace blog components among the most influential fashion bloggers.

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Table 2.

Components from Websites

The Blonde Song of Wendy’s Kayture Sincerely, Fashion Gary Atlantic- Gal Meets Peace, Love Salad Style Lookbook Jules Toast Pepper Pacific Glam Shea Girl Looks Beauty About Beauty Shop About Outfit Blog About Fashion Stories Outfit Shop Fashion Collaborations Ask Fashion Shop by Contact Beauty Week Picks Archives Travel YouTube Lifestyle Collages Contact Shopping Subscribe Subscribe Health Shopping Interior The Frame Videos Inspiration Dresses Travel Fashion About Design (magazine) Trends Fashion Contact Travels My Style Tops Beauty Beauty Follow Week

Beauty Videos About “Other" Bottoms Personal Home Looks Decor

Photos About Contact Travel Gift Cards Editorial Travel Photography Contact

People Press About Jewelry Design Shop Shop

Quotes Follow Press Video FAQ Travel

Travel The Team Shop

About About

Shop

Contact

Participants

The study involved the administration of a questionnaire among college-level students with ages ranged from 18-26 years old and located within the Kent State University’s Fashion

School. A survey was administered to 159 fashion students to better understand a reader’s perceptions related to these four key elements, which are viewed as positively (or negatively) impacting a blog’s and/or blogger’s influence and the blog’s/ blogger’s ability to sustain itself overtime. Members of the demographic segment known as “Millennials” or “Generation Y” who were born between 1981-1997 were judged appropriate for this study because they are more likely to use the Internet for a wide range of purposes, as well use it for their day-to-day

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communications. This segment is also more likely to read blogs and even write their own blogs

(Fox & Jones, 2009).

Survey Procedure

A formal online survey was used to evaluate the perception of blog readers in the context of the four key elements and recognized influential fashion blogs/bloggers. The instrument was first piloted with college students to determine if survey items needed to be clarified, and questions added or deleted. This study was exempted from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Kent State University (158-83). The actual survey involved the administration of a questionnaire among 159 college-level fashion students located within the Kent State

University’s Fashion School. The evaluation of the ten blogs in the context of the sixteen (16) common blog components was compared and contrasted with readers’ perceptions in relation to the four elements of influence.

The participants were informed about the survey prior to participating and asked to voluntarily participate during the beginning of class. The investigator recruited participants from eight classes in the Fashion School. The invitation to participate (See Appendix A) stated the purpose and significance of the study, as well as assuring prospective respondents of confidentiality and anonymity. Those who chose to participate in the study completed the online survey through Qualitrics. The respondents followed the link addressed by their instructor of the class. Survey respondents were allowed to terminate the survey at any time without penalty.

There was no cost to participate. All participants had to be 18 years or older to participate.

Survey Questionnaire Design

The questionnaire used for data collection was designed to measure the various perceptions of fashion blog readers based on the four elements of influence: (1) trustworthiness

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(2) expertise (3) personal relevance and (4) authenticity to prospective readers (See Appendix B).

The design of the questionnaire provides a respondent profile, insights into a reader’s willingness to visit or revisit a site, insights into a reader’s motivation to adopt the blog(ger)s suggestions on fashion products, and insights into a reader’s desire to follow a blog(ger)s recommendations related to personal style.

The questionnaire consisted of twenty-five (25) questions relating to the participants’ experience with and perceptions of fashion blogs, blog composition, and content components of fashion blogs. Respondents were asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with the survey questions using a variety of Qualtrics survey structures. For example, questions could be answered using an established rating scale, as well as simple yes or no responses. The questionnaire contained several baseline questions with regard to demographic characteristics of the respondents, along with several questions related to their own personal experience with the act of blogging and art of blogging, and in particular - fashion blogging. The questions were aimed at gaining their perception of a fashion blogger’s trustworthiness, expertise, content relevance to the reader, and authenticity in context of the larger fashion blogosphere with which the respondent may be familiar.

Survey Instrument

Demographic

Demographic information was accessed from two questions, seeking gender, age and ethnicity. The demographic questions had predetermined responses. Ages ranged from 18 to over

26. For ethnicity, five options were provided: African-American (non-Hispanic), Asian/Pacific

Islanders, Caucasian (non-Hispanic), Latino or Hispanic, Native American or other.

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Personal Style

The questions following demographic details asked the respondents about their preferences, such as what social media platforms they use, along with their opinion on what they think of when the word “fashion” comes to mind. The respondents were asked; when they read the word “fashion” what it means from the following choices: Clothes, Beauty, Travel,

Shopping, Videos, or All of the Above.

Inquiries regarding their perception of “personal style” (if they believe they have one or not) and what influences that personal style were solicited. Question 7 asked if the respondents believed they have or do not have a personal style. If respondents answered no, the survey would skip to Question 9. If the respondents answered yes, the following choices were given to solicit answers on what influences their personal style: Magazines, Television/Movies, Social Media,

Blogs, Fashion Blogs, Friends, Health & Wellness, Family, Peers, Celebrities, and Other. If the respondents answered no, Question 9 sought to have the respondents indicate what external source or sources might, in the future, serve to influence their initiation of a personal style with the following choices being made available: Magazines, Television/Movies, Social Media,

Blogs, Fashion Blogs, Friends, Health & Wellness, Family, Peers, Celebrities, and Other.

Social Media

Question 5 asked specifically what digital social media platforms they use from eight predetermined choices: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, or

Bloglovin’. Participants were asked about their experience in reading fashion blogs, along with an inquiry as to whether they had their own personal blog site. One question asked whether they had a personal blog with choices: Yes, No, or Maybe. Because the participant sample was derived from college-level students in the Fashion School at Kent State University, it is possible

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that the respondents considered themselves a fashion blogger or personal style blogger if they believed they had some experience with the act blogging about any variety of fashion categories.

Familiarity with Fashion Blogs

Questions 12 and 13 asked the participants if they read any fashion blog and what was their reading frequency. It asked how often they read fashion blogs with choices of: Never, Less

Than Once a Month, Once a Month, 2-3 Times a Month, Once a Week, 2-3 Times a Week, and

Daily. The responses measure frequency of use, which can act as a proxy for influence.

Once establishing familiarity with participant blog experience, the respondents were asked if they were familiar with the sample set of ten (10) personal style blogs, in no particular rank-order, which was extracted from the list of the twenty most influential fashion bloggers identified by the February, 2015, fashionista.com list. The ten (10) blogs are listed Table 1.

Upon asking their familiarity with these blogs/bloggers, Question 14 asked if the participants were actual followers or subscribers of any of these blogs sites. Question 15 inquired as to how the respondents became familiar with the fashion blogs listed, offering choices of:

Friends, Social Media, School, Magazines, Television, Word of Mouth, Designer/Retailer, and

Other in which the participants were to pick all that apply. These responses assist in the understanding interactive communications and engagement within the community, particularly in the context of a common interests or specific subject matter topics such as fashion and personal style.

Personal Attachment to Fashion Bloggers

Questions 16-18 asked participants their personal attachment to the fashion bloggers they do read, follow, or subscribe to. Question 16 asked if they felt a personal connection the fashion blogger they read, follow, or subscribe to with responses of Yes, No, or Maybe. Question 17 then

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asked if they would want to be friends with the fashion bloggers they read, follow, or subscribe to, with responses of; Yes, No, or Maybe. Question 18 asked if they would be upset if the fashion blogger they followed stopped blogging, with responses; Yes, No, or Maybe.

First Look at Fashion Blog

Question 19 asked; when reading a fashion blog, what do participants look at first. The respondents are asked to rank order their choices from 1-5. The respondents were given the choices of: Content, Images, Products, About the Blogger, Comments and Other to rank. The choice of blog or website components could be inferred as having the most influence based upon the importance (rank order) of prospective readers or subscribers. These components were represented in the evaluation and analysis performed by the author, and are reflected in the total of sixteen (16) identified blog components found to be commonplace among the ten (10) most influential personal style blogs examined in greater detail by the author. Keeping in mind that the sample of ten were derived from the larger population of twenty (20) deemed as most influential fashion bloggers as identified in the February, 2015, fashionista.com list.

Key Elements of Influence

Questions 20-25 asked respondents to relate their perception of the four elements - trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity that effectively represent influence in the context of fashion bloggers and personal style blogs. The participants were asked to pick the top four blog features out of a list of nine features that embody the four key elements at a minimum level. Definitions of each term or key element was provided to participants and then respondents where asked to pick features that they felt represent each of the key elements - trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity, when it comes to a fashion blogger and a personal style blogs. Choices for questions 20-25 included: Work Experience,

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Education, Industry Experience, Appearance, Blog/Website Layout, Personal Association,

Product Affiliation, Personal Accomplishments/Awards, and Content.

Question 25 asked respondents to match four images (screenshots), each set selected from either Gal Meets Glam, Song of Style, or Nicolette Mason. These three sets of four images were similar to one another in regard to the sixteen commonplace blog components developed in the aforementioned content evaluation and analysis, but allowed for some degree of possible reader recognition by the respondents. This portion of the survey was design to understand what part of the website visually represents one or all of the elements when displayed as images or visuals from a fashion blog. The example for the question provided constant components, which included images of one typical blog entry, an About Me page, a homepage or landing page, and an image of the corresponding fashion blogger in an outfit.

Participants were asked about their perceptions related to what part of the website represented one of the four elements, all or none -- trustworthiness “make you trust the blog”; expertise “an expert”; personal relevance “relevant to you”; and authenticity “being authentic”.

Choices included: Content/Posts, Images/Videos, Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships,

Interactive: Questions or Comments, and Overall Appearance, all of which were believed to be blog components that embody a single, or combination, or all of the four key elements of influence on a fashion blogger’s website or personal style blog.

Pilot Study

A pilot study was conducted using twenty-two (22) undergraduate college-level students enrolled in spring semester classes at the Fashion School at Kent State University. There were two reasons for use of the pilot study. The first was to help verify the reliability of the proposed survey questions. The second was to determine if the survey questions needed clarification,

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additions or deletions. Paper handouts were given to participants to answer the survey questions.

The pilot study asked four basic demographic questions, however, questions regarding income on a yearly basis proved unnecessary for this research.

Instructions originally provided for the survey appeared to be unclear to respondents in reference to questions relating to ranking and top choice questions; thus they required revisions and clarifications to enhance reliability before launching the formal survey.

An additional question was added in relation to participant’s online blogging experience.

Visual content is important to fashion bloggers’ social media content (i.e. Instagram). The question was designed to better understand how a respondent might become familiar with a particular fashion blogger, exclusive of that identity being otherwise provided by a photograph of the individual. This showed the difficulty of dealing with content as lien of inquiry, particularly in relation to fashion blogging that is often heavily reliant on visual content. Visual content and images cannot be sufficiently communicated in the form of text-based surveys and/or many survey instruments. Personal attachment questions were added, such as “Would you want to be friends with the fashion blogger you follow?”; “Would you be sad if the fashion blogger you followed stopped blogging?” because it was believed that the original questions lacked sufficient information to demonstrate the degree of attachment the respondents may have with a particular fashion blogger, thus providing some additional understanding of the motivation for participants to follow a fashion blogger.

To further increase the reliability of the study and reduce the number of questions, several questions with peripheral responses were consolidated from the various questions into a single question to provide more clarity for participants and reduce repetition.

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The pilot also revealed that specific questions pertinent to the four key elements required additional clarification of the ranking of the total of nine blog features identified -- Work

Experience, Education, Industry Experience, Appearance, Blog/Website Layout, Personal

Association, Product Affiliation, Personal Accomplishments/Awards, and Content. The questions were further edited to allow respondents to select their “top choices” among the listed features. This was deemed more relevant in soliciting the most significant or influential attributes impacting the influence of the respondent’s actions. The “Other” option was removed due to confusion, given the relatively large number of options respondents had to choose from.

One example survey item was; “For those blogs you do subscribe to, please rank the following four elements based on their importance to you.” The pilot study suggested that visual images associated with the question would enhance the respondent’s understanding of what the question was asking, and give the respondents a consistent display of what they do look for (or see) on a fashion blog with examples and/or images from the set of sample fashion blogs.

Four questions which probed participants – what part of a website would be representative of trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance, and authenticity - were condensed into one question as opposed to the four. The question asked “When reading a fashion blog, what part of the website would be the best example of the four key elements?” It was apparent that there was some negative feedback from participants in regard to multiple questions asking the same thing in a four different way. Combining the four questions into a single question reduced participant confusion, and ultimately proved to be more easily answered once condensed into a single question. The question was seeking information about blog and website components that may or may not represent one or more of the four core elements. Components of the blog or website were listed as choices: Content/Posts, Images/Videos,

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Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships, Interactive; Questions or Comments, and Overall

Appearance.

Finally, another question was eliminated due to redundancy, having been asked and answered by respondents earlier in other survey questions. The last question of the pilot study asked; what part of the fashion blog would directly represent the four key elements best with answer selection of images/video, content/posts, sponsorships and/or interactive; questions or comments? This particular question was eliminated because of redundancy.

Distributed Questionnaire--Survey Instrument

The principal survey was conducted online. The respondents were college students who have technology and digital media as a significant part of their contemporary lifestyle. Typically, college-level students are considered part of the founder-generation within the social media movement as well, and are constantly connected to their social circles via online and mobile technologies (Nielsen Reports, 2014). As such, distribution of the survey to the participants during a class via online mechanism appeared to be no obstacle to achieving responses from respondents. In fact, it appeared to improve the actual number of respondents, due to its ease of use and accessibility of allowing the participants to have time during a class period, and by permitting participants to use their smartphones and mobile computers to take part in the survey online.

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CHAPTER IV

RESULTS

This research was conducted through content evaluation and analysis, as well as the use of a survey distributed to 159 undergraduate college-level students enrolled in the Fashion

School at Kent State University. The intent was to develop a better understanding of the fashion blog reader’s perceptions related to four key elements of influence which are widely considered indispensable for sustaining and enhancing influence among bloggers. The identified four elements are most often seen as positively (or negatively) impacting a blog’s/blogger’s influence on readers and a blog’s/blogger’s capacity to sustain itself over time.

The responses to Questions 2-4 revealed relevant demographic information about the survey respondents. These questions ask respondents about gender, age, and race, respectively.

As a result, it was determined that a majority of the respondents were female 94.97% (n=151), while males represented 5% (n=8). This was expected in light of the fact that a significant number of students enrolled in the Fashion School are female. It appears to be a good representative sample for understanding of the female blog readers’ perceptions related to elements of influence. Women make up the majority of bloggers, and half of all bloggers, regardless of subject matter, are aged 18-34-years, according to a February, 2014 Nielson

Consumer titled The U.S. Digital Consumer Report. Moreover, women represent about 57% of

U.S. college students (Strauss, 2015).

The majority of the respondents were in the 18-20 age range 89.80% (n=141). This result indicates that the respondents reflect college-age blog readers. As previously discussed this age group is more “connected” with superior Internet access resulting in broad exposure to digital content and brands. The proliferation of internet-connected computers and smartphones among

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this cohort also provides a good representative sample for understanding of the blog readers’ perceptions because blogs are a digital form and available through the Internet.

Ethnic background apportionment, derived from Question 4, is shown in Table 3 below, along with other figures. The ethnicity data only appears to be explanatory of the sample population of college-age respondents. There are a multitude of in-depth studies correlating ethnicity with the preferences and habits related to adoption and use of internet-connected technology, including smartphone devices. The adoption, access, and use of internet-connected technology in relation to culture and income have been more broadly studied by other researchers, so no pointed inferences have been made here, however, the area may be a subject worthy for future research in regard to fashion blogs.

Table 3.

Demographics of Survey Participants

Characteristics Frequencies Percentage %

Gender

Female 151 94.97%

Male 8 5.03%

Age

18-20 141 88.67%

21-23 14 8.80%

24-26 2 1.25%

Ethnic Background

African-American 20 12.57%

Asian/Pacific Islander 13 8.17%

Caucasian 113 71.06%

Latino or Hispanic 6 3.77%

Native-American 1 0.63%

Other 6 3.77%

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Respondents Social Media Use

The responses indicated that most respondents use Instagram (94%, n=149) as a social media platform (microblogging), followed by Facebook (82%, n=131), then Pinterest (74%, n=117), YouTube (72%, n=114), Twitter received (67%, n=106) and Google+ (8%, n=13) and finally, Bloglovin’ is used by only 4% (n=7).

Respondents identified their usage of a variety of common technology-based social media platforms (microblogging) to become informed, communicate and browse consumer products and services online. A fashion bloggers’ digital presence on the Internet and two-way communications with their prospective audience and followers was found to be maintained and sustained through adoption and use of a variety of common social media platforms. The top four

Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Facebook most widely used by respondents is consistent with both the age-cohort and the types of digital platforms associated with a high percentage of visual content (images) that is commonly found on the most influential fashion blogs and fashion blogger’s websites.

Respondents Perception of Fashion

The participants were asked in Question 6 what they believe is included when they think of the word fashion. The respondents were allowed to choose from all of the six answers, many chose several responses. From the 455 total, Clothes 22% (n=101) was the answer most of the respondents associate with term fashion. Following closely behind was Shopping 21% (n=94) while Beauty and “All the Above” effectively tied for third position at 19 % (n=85). As defined,

“All the Above” includes clothes, beauty, travel, shopping and videos. It is evident that this sample believed that when the term “fashion” comes to mind they may also think more broadly about the subject and have a broad all-encompassing opinion of what is included in the category.

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It is noteworthy that a majority of the most influential fashion bloggers, particularly those who call themselves personal lifestyle bloggers, include content, opinions, and recommendations related to topics such as beauty, travel, lifestyle, décor, and also offer shopping options on the blogs and websites. Therefore, fashion bloggers and those branding themselves as personal style bloggers can benefit from delivering more editorial content, particularly images and visuals, related the topics of beauty, travel, lifestyle, and décor, in addition to a concentration on clothing and accessories. The separate evaluation and analysis of the ten most influential bloggers websites points to the fact that a majority do actually include an expanded range of subject matter content including beauty, travel, and decor, as well as offer selected shopping opportunities for readers. This leads us to believe that fashion blogs and websites with a broader editorial content related “fashion” topics appeal to a wider audience of prospective readers and would tend to develop a greater number of followers and readers, and therefore have a greater likelihood for exerting influence. Nine out of ten include outfits and lifestyle content, including visuals and personal images, while seven out of ten, or 70%, include both shopping opportunities and travel content features. However, only five out of ten, or 50%, include beauty content features, and only four, or 40%, include décor and/or interior design content features.

Respondents Perceived Personal Style

Of the total 159 participants, 92% (n=147) responded in the affirmative indicating that they believe that they retain a personal style. Only 8% (n=12), felt that they lack a personal style.

Those that believed they lacked a personal style were then asked what they think would influence them the most in seeking to develop a personal style. These respondents were able to select from a selection of ten specific factors which could exert influence on personal style. An eleventh choice was “Other”. An aggregate total of 116 responses was obtained based upon

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respondent’s ability to select up to four (4) from the selections available. It appears that most respondents made actual selections from the ten specific factors and did not squander identifying an actual factor by choosing “Other” (3%, n=4). Overall, these respondents who lacked a personal style are most influenced by fashion blogs (14%, n=16), celebrities (14%, n=16) and social media (14%, n=77) following closely by television and movies (13%, n=15). Health and wellness at 4% (n=5) and general topic blogs also at 4% (n=5) appear to be the least influential factors when it comes to developing a personal style.

An aggregate total of 573 responses was obtained based upon respondent’s ability to select up to four (4) from the selections available. Again, it appeared that most respondents made actual selections from the ten specific factors and did not otherwise squander identifying with an actual factor by choosing “Other” (3%, n=15). Overall, these respondents who believed that they did possess a personal style were most influenced by social media (19%, n=110), celebrities

(15%, n=16) and fashion blogs (13%, n=77) following closely by magazines (12%, n=70) and television and movies (10%, n=59). Not surprisingly, friends (10%, n=60) was also an influential factor. This appears to be consistent with the general perception of the Millennial age-cohort.

Health and wellness at 2% (n=14) and general subject matter blogs at 3% (n=17) appear to be the least influential factors when it comes to cultivating a personal style.

The most surprising finding was that only 8% (n=12) of the respondents felt they actually lacked a personal style, which also fits the general public’s perception of Millennials’ perceived level of self-confidence.

Blogging Experience and Blog Reading

The majority of the respondents did not have a personal blog in which they single- handedly create subject matter content. The results showed that only 30% (n= 46) have a

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personal blog. Seventy percent (70%) do not. Additionally, because people’s perception of what actually constitutes a blog can vary, an option of “Maybe” was provided for respondents. The responses labeled “Maybe” were very low at only 3% (n=3), therefore, we can assume that the sample population’s comprehension of “blogging” is sufficient to provide meaningful results in the context of appraising fashion blogs and fashion bloggers influence.

Further, 82% (n=131) of the 159 respondents do, in fact, read fashion blogs to some measurable degree. Question 12 actual provided evidence that 19% (n=30) are reading fashion blogs 2-3 times a month, and 12% (n=19) are reading 2-3 a week. More importantly, about 13%

(n=20) indicated that they read fashion blogs on a daily basis. The high number of respondent’s reading fashion blogs (82%) and level of frequency indicates an acute familiarity with the medium and the strong likelihood of respondents actually recognizing content features which are commonplace on fashion blogs, personal style blogs and websites and related social media platforms.

Familiarity with the Top Fashion Bloggers

When asked about their familiarity with sample set of ten influential blogs/bloggers, or if they followed any of these top ten influential bloggers on social media, the results varied.

Respondents were allowed to select as many blogs/bloggers as they were familiar with, which resulted in multiple answers. Overall, the results indicated a sufficient familiarity with a majority of the ten influential fashion bloggers selected for evaluation and analysis. Respondents were most familiar with The Blonde Salad (15%, n=29), The Song of Style (14%, n=28), and then

Sincerely, Jules (13%, n=26) and Wendy’s Lookbook (13%, n=26). Close behind in ranking was

Gal Meets Glam (12%, n=23), along with Fashion Toast (10%, n=19). Gary Pepper Girl and

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Atlantic-Pacific individually accounted for 8% (n=15) each. Kayture accounted for 5% (n=10) and Nicolette Mason accounted for 4% (n=8).

The familiarity responses are consistent with the content evaluation and analysis portion of this study which indicated that respondents are sourcing and making use of fashion blogs and personal style blogs and also influenced through their linked social media platforms. In fact, many respondents discovered or became familiar with one or more of these influential blogs through social media (38 %, n=106). Based upon the content evaluation and analysis portion of this study the four top influential fashion bloggers based upon ranking of component content features were Song of Style, Gal Meets Glam, The Blonde Salad and Kayture. In addition, Song of Style, Kayture, and Sincere Jules were found to have the highest social media following on

Instagram, a popular visual image and photograph-based social media platform. The respondents were found to use the social media platform of Instagram most often platform (21%, n=149) among popular available options, which provides support for the findings that visual images and photographs of fashion in-use are more appealing to readers of fashion blogs by contrast with text-based fashion content. In addition, when the respondents were asked which influential fashion bloggers (any or all) they follow on social media or subscribe to, the top selections were

Gal Meets Glam (13%, n=23) and Sincerely, Jules (13%, n=22), following closely by Song of

Style, Wendy’s Lookbook, and The Blonde Salad all at about 12%. The least followed, in terms of social media platforms, were both Kayture and Nicolette Mason at about 5%. Based upon the content evaluation and analysis the highly-ranked influential fashion bloggers based upon component content features were Song of Style, Gal Meets Glam, The Blonde Salad and Kayture

Therefore, except for the poor following level of Kayture, the most highly-ranked influential fashion bloggers are also the more readily followed by the survey respondents.

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A majority of the survey respondents (40%, n=61) did not feel a personal connection with the influential fashion bloggers they do follow. However, 36% (n=54) did actually express a feeling of personal connection with the influential fashion bloggers they follow. It is assumed that the feeling of personal connection would serve to increase or enhance the fashion blogger’s influence and is highly connected to at least two of the four key elements - personal relevance and trustworthiness. A majority of respondents indicated (73 %, n=109) that they would like to be friends with the fashion bloggers they do follow, subscribe to, or read. Further, respondents indicated that they would likely be upset if the fashion blogger they read or follow were to stop blogging 48 % (n=71). Again, appearing to increase or enhance the perception of influence and link to the two key elements of personal relevance and trustworthiness.

Perception of the Four Key Elements of Influence

Evaluating and analyzing the most influential blogs and the blogger’s website features and components was one of the more revealing aspects of this investigation, and most relevant to developing a basis from which to answer the four (4) research questions.

(Q1): “In the context of blog content, what components of fashion blogs are most likely associated with influence on readers?

The evaluation and analysis used in developing the sample set of ten of the most influential fashion blogs and bloggers was a result of the appraisal and review of the component features found to be most common among the primary list of twenty most influential fashion bloggers individual blogs and websites identified by fashionista.com, a leading fashion industry resource. An investigation of the magnitude of followers and/or subscribers warranted a further narrowing of the fashionista.com list of twenty of the most influential to the ten most popular influential fashion bloggers and their associated individual blogs and websites. This smaller list

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was provided to respondents as the sample set of influential fashion bloggers and their associated individual blogs and websites. It increased the likelihood that participants and respondents to the survey could more readily identify one or more of the influential fashion bloggers and their associated individual blogs and websites. The positive number of responses to a significant number of the narrowed set of ten influential fashion bloggers by survey respondents appears to support the presumption that the short list of ten was adequate as a representative sample and reduced the chances for confusion among respondents.

The evaluation and analysis among the set of ten influential fashion bloggers and their associated individual blogs and websites identified sixteen (16) common component features that consistently appeared in the blogger’s content. In addition, the examination also revealed that there were eight (8) commonplace social media platforms that were integrated with the individual blogs and websites which serve to facilitate Internet-based linkages to the ten most influential fashion bloggers individual blogs and websites.

Because of the proliferation of accessible digital technology, namely computer-based internet access and smartphone devices, these social media platforms clearly contribute to a majority of the influential fashion blogs proficiency at cultivating subscribers and followers – a modern measure or proxy for perceived influence.

Identified below in Table 4 are the sixteen (16) component features, as well as the eight

(8) social media platforms or application linkages found to be commonplace among the ten influential fashion bloggers and their associated individual blogs and websites. Appendix D provides the matrix of common components found to be prevalent among the narrowed sample of the ten influential fashion bloggers and their associated individual blogs and websites, which

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are a subset of the February, 2015, fashionista.com list – “The 20 Most Influential Personal Style

Bloggers Right Now”.

Table 4.

16 Common Blog Components

Common Blog Component Features About Contact Shop/Shopping Travel Décor/Interior Design Beauty Fashion Outfits/Lifestyle Looks/Inspiration Health Accessories Jewelry Collaboration Fashion Week/Press Video/Photography Ask/Interactive

Table 5.

8 Social Media Components

Social Media Components URL Facebook Twitter Instagram Google+ Pinterest Bloglovin’ Tumblr

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(Q2): “Do the components built into blogger’s weblog content embody elements of (1) trustworthiness, (2) expertise, (3) personal relevance and (4) authenticity?”

Upon completion of the examination and appraisal of the common sixteen components, each component feature was independently matched with one or more of the corresponding four key elements: (1) trustworthiness; (2) expertise; (3) personal relevance; and (4) authenticity. This evaluation and analysis was undertaken to better understand what fashion blog component features and content readers perceive as representative or illustrative of one or more of the corresponding four key elements: (1) trustworthiness; (2) expertise; (3) personal relevance; and

(4) authenticity, if any.

However, when after examination of the common eight social media components, it was concluded that they collectively are most demonstrative of the single key element of trustworthiness. In the context of social media components, personal relevance was considered to a lesser degree and largely as a function of the prospective use of the application and/or accessible digital technology by possible fashion blog readers, as well as active fashion blog subscribers or followers.

Trustworthiness

This element was found to be best represented within the blog’s components in items such as Domain Name and Universal Resource Locator (URL) as a reference (an address) to the resource on the Internet, web page layout and design, website style or theme, along with social media linkages, and presence of shopping cart.

Fashion bloggers with an online shopping feature or e-commerce component on their website also deploy website tools and security features similar to other product categories that conform with state-of-the-art privacy policies and customer-data security practices related to

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Internet commerce. They are actively mindful of the website’s quality, technical security, ease- of-use and the user’s experience in making consumer purchases. Given the differences between those weblogs with e-commerce features and those without: the art and science of building customer relationships with users on the Internet builds on the principle of instilling trust as a way of integrating conventions for Internet privacy and security. For example, placement of security badges such as those from service-providers like McAfee Secure and VeriSign serve to convey trustworthiness and instill a higher level of customer confidence and trust in doing business with the blogger and blogger’s website. As a result of increased technical sophistication and a perceived higher level of security related to a site with e-commerce features, it is more likely perceived to have a higher level of trustworthiness for readers or followers who interact with the blogger and blogger’s website.

There are a great number of technical factors that contribute to the reliability of an e- commerce site, however, consumers are shown to more likely favor and trust websites with

Internet privacy policies and e-commerce security features, particularly in the context of consumer purchases. One easily recognized sign, particularly in e-commerce, is to look to the

URL of the website. Typically, a secure website’s URL begins with “https” rather than merely

“http”. The “s” at the end of “http” represents “secure” and illustrates the source is using a

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection. Effectively, the exchanged information will be encrypted before being sent to a server.

Today’s business-to-consumer e-commerce categories includes, not only online merchandise retailing, but also involves services such as online banking, travel services, online auctions, health information and real estate sites (Varon, 2006). Fashion blogs with e-commerce

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component features also have to comply with federal and state regulations in the context of day- to-day operations. For example:

Bloggers must legally tell their readers that they received a free toaster in exchange for a product review, per Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations, but they don’t have to disclose how much they charge for the banner ads, or how many views they need in order to attract banner advertisers (Faw, 2012, pp.4).

Social media platforms also directly and indirectly exhibit similar privacy policies and

Internet security features as evidence of trustworthiness to their users. Fashion blogs and bloggers with large counts of followers are often voluntarily linked to the blogger’s multiple social media platforms. As a result, followers and subscribers on social media platforms feel confident when connecting with the blogger via a number of different ways. Also the microblogging platforms significantly enhance the consumer’s accessibility to the blog’s/blogger’s content by way of internet-based computer devices such as smartphones.

The fashion blogger’s postings can be continual or intermittent, either way the exchange is recognized by followers and subscribers as coming from “the real deal” which tends to enhance the perception of authenticity. The most influential fashion blogger also make it easy to share links on multiple platforms and encourage readers and followers to share blog content, which most often includes fashion product reviews, personal experiences, travel recommendations, and lifestyle or decor solutions, along with general and specific opinions on emerging fashion trends observed. Followers and readers of a blog/blogger would not likely exert the effort to subscribe to the website and agree to exchange personal infomration if they did not trust the blog or blogger’s website. Moreover, they would not choose to follow blog/blogger via any of the various microblogging social media platforms and continue to maintain the relationship if they did value the blog/blogger content and believe the source to be authentic.

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Expertise

The key element of expertise is readily embodied by components such as editorial content, collaborations and cooperative partnerships, fashion press and fashion news stories, along with video and photographic images. Collaborations with designers and cooperative partnerships with brands serve to create awareness for designers and brands while also raising the awareness of the fashion blog and fashion blogger. These types of relationships serve both parties. The designer or brand increases their exposure to prospective consumers, while the partnership with the organization or corporation increases the fashion blogger’s credibility among both followers and non-followers by imparting fashion expertise and product know-how.

Influential blogs and blogger’s regularly display photographic images and often videos on their blog and website. The exhibition of current fashion products and coordinated pieces serve as content that is appealing and interesting to followers and prospective followers. Readers and followers recognize visual images faster and consistently revisit the sites to check for updates and new products, stories or events. The growth and sustainability of an influential blog and influential blogger is maintained as a function of the providing readers with personally relevant content and a website layout which delivers a beneficial user experience. Receiving expert advice and recommendations is part of many consumer’s buying process and is often identified as a step in the consumer buying-cycle, just after need-awareness and before actual purchase. It effectively equates with research and evaluation of purchase options in the consumer buying-cycle.

For example, the social media platform Instagram is a microblogging application all of ten influential fashion bloggers use and integrate or link to within their weblog and/or website.

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The application exhibits high-quality photos and short videos (3-15 seconds) as posted content instantaneously with or without voice-over narration and with or without editorial content.

Having a visually appealing feed with relevant photographic images and videos will help gain followers the instant they come across a profile (Hewitt, 2014).

Content quality and editorial rigor can easily validate a blogger’s professionalism and fashion expertise, and is represented by the site’s count of followers, and often by the proxy measure of reposts or retweets on the microblogging sites among and between followers and subscribers.

All of the ten influential bloggers make productive use of images and videos in the context of Instagram, evidence of which is presented in Table 6. The percentages are calculated as a function of the fashion blogger’s total social media followers derived from examination of all eight social media platforms, resulting in their percent (%) of Instagram followers as a share of total social media followers.

Table 6.

10 Sampled Fashion Bloggers’ Instagram Followers

Percent (%) Instagram Blogger/Blog Followers As Portion of Total Rank Social Media Followers

Sincerely, Jules 91.0% 1 Song of Style 73.0% 2 Gary Pepper Girl 71.0% 3

Atlantic/Pacific 61.0% 4 Kayture 52.0% 5 Gal Meets Glam 49.0% 6 Nicolette Mason 47.0% 7 Wendy’s Lookbook 40.0% 8

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Percent (%) Instagram Blogger/Blog Followers As Portion of Total Rank Social Media Followers

Fashion Toast 32.0% 9 The Blonde Salad 8.0% 10 Mean 52.4%

Personal Relevance

Based upon evaluation and analysis, this element was most obviously represented on the influential blog sites through visual image content (photographs and videos) which often portray the individual blogger in fashion products, often identified as” looks” or aspirational scenes and themes. These images and videos are often catalogued by geographic setting or travel location, seasonal clothing or brand, accessory grouping, or in-home location or use. Blogs and bloggers with a wider span of expertise in various fashion categories have a higher probability of finding an audience of readers, subscribers, and followers. Subscribers and followers are naturally more interested in fashion categories that are personally relevant and tend to seek others with similar interests.

Personal relevance is evident when like-minded followers comment through the interactive comment features on the looks or inspiration content pages, or outfits and lifestyle content pages, all of which have the intent of showcasing the blogger’s individual taste and fashion aesthetic. Content identified as décor or interior design is no different. However, décor and interior design lifestyle content was not as prevalent among the ten most influential bloggers, only four of the ten had such content in addition to the various fashion categories. Therefore, décor and interior design content is not imperative for a fashion blog or personal style blog.

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Authenticity

Authenticity, as an element of influence in the context of weblogs, appears to be best represented in the component features described as “About Us”, which includes the blogger’s biography or personal story, the blogger’s professional and fashion experience, the blogger’s personal experiences, and the blogger’s contact information and social media linkages. Through these features the blogger is effectively sharing their personal information, professional experience and fashion credentials in order to purposefully connect with readers. This element closely aligns with perceived expertise, as well as personal relevance to the reader, depending upon the scope of qualifications and accomplishments of the individual blogger.

The “About Me” feature is prevalent among all the most influential blogs. It is representative of the amalgamation of all four of the key elements influence. It is typically kept short in order for readers to capture the essence quickly. Contact information is provided for readers with the intent of establishing an on-going relationship if the reader finds the content relevant and beneficial. This direct access is often viewed as expressive of the blogger’s dedication to remain personally available to readers, subscribers and followers.

More recently, Home Decor and Travel component features are seen as extensions of fashion content and present relevant lifestyle choices. Daily living content is now seen as fulfilling a need to acquire and maintain a personal style in the context of the home, as well as on the road when traveling. More importantly, content within these components is presented as both visual images and editorial details, which more often than not include the individual blogger themselves in the story and in the photographs or videos. This directly communicates more than the other components the authenticity of the influential bloggers and the blog given the fact that

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the individual is using the medium to communicate personally and directly with their audience of readers and subscribers.

Sharing traveling experiences and providing styling recommendations while traveling to various cities or countries is an extension of both fashion style and lifestyle, and also provides a unique and appealing source of blog content which connects with readers who travel extensively or aspire to.

For the more influential bloggers, brand-sponsored trips present exclusive opportunities for bloggers to develop unique and valuable content experiences. These unique content opportunities reach help bloggers attract new audiences, and in some cases, help bloggers get paid (Indivik, 2016). The same general principle holds true for home decor and interior design content, which is often built on visual images of home furnishing solutions or daily-living products, style recommendations, and buying on a budget editorial content.

These two supplementary component features provide subscribers and followers with an attractive and efficient series of lifestyle solutions in the context of decor and travel which can serve to broaden the blogger’s audience appeal, as well as communicate the personal lifestyle of the blogger. Wherein subscribers and followers may aspire to mimic the lifestyle or pattern their purchases and product choices to match the lifestyle recommendations of the blogger.

Only four of the ten most influential bloggers integrate decor and interior design content features, while seven of the ten integrate travel content. Subscribers and followers are able to see authentic lifestyle choices and authentic travel experiences directly from the blogger’s point-of- view, while benefiting from the perceived value of the recommendations in areas beyond the concentrated category of fashion alone.

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Table 7.

Summary of Common Blog Components

Key Element of Component Description Fashion Blog Influence Trustworthiness Blog Layout/Website Design Social Media Platforms Shopping/E-commerce Page

Expertise Collaborations/Partnerships Press (i,e., Fashion Week) Videos/Photography Personal Relevance Outfits/Lifestyle Looks/Inspiration Decor/Interior Design Authenticity About Page Contact Information Ask the Expert/Interactive Travel/Looks/Inspiration

Upon establishing the component features which most embody the four key elements of influence, research question three (Q3) asked: “Can a blogger’s influence be readily identified through a reader’s blog experiences and their own perceptions of the four key elements of (1) trustworthiness, (2) expertise, (3) personal relevance and (4) authenticity?”

The survey was designed to elicit participants’ responses in the context of their own weblog experiences and the four key elements of influence -- trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity. Responses are examined in the context of the most influential bloggers and their work experience; education; industry experience; appearance; blog/website user experience; personal association; product affliction; personal accomplishments/awards and content.

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Trustworthiness

Respondents were asked to select four attributes from a list of nine attributes which connect with the key element of influence of trustworthiness. The responses illustrate what identifiable blog or blogger component features reader’s perceived to be most representative of trustworthiness when interacting with fashion blogs and the associated fashion blogger. The top three blog components which respondents’ perceived to be representative of the element of trustworthiness were Industry Experience 16% (n=107) with Work Experience (13%, n=84) and

Personal Association (12%, n=78). The fourth most representative component was a virtual tie among three other components: Content 11% (n=72), Individual Appearance (11%, n=70) and

Education (12%, n=78).

Surprisingly, the readers’ perception of Blog/Website Layout was low on the list (7%, n=48), together with Personal Accomplishments/Awards (10%, n=68) and Product Affiliation

(8%, n=51). This finding was surprising because previous research had indicated that product affiliation on fashion blogs and fashion blogger’s websites might adversely impact readers’ perception of trustworthiness due to readers’ belief that the product affiliation would increase the prospects of a blogger attempting to sell the particular affiliated brand’s product offerings. It would appear that product affiliations need not be as great a concern for bloggers as originally thought. Therefore, because many fashion bloggers and lifestyle blogs directly benefit from such product affiliations and product partnerships, it would appear that they can more actively pursue such relationships without dramatically or adversely impacting the followers’ perception of trustworthiness.

Previous research indicated that blog layout and design was seen as valuable in transforming routine blog reading into a more engaging experience (Cheng & Fang, 2015).

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However, readers and followers do not necessarily perceive blog layout as important as previously thought, if the content is still otherwise perceived as more valuable and beneficial.

Further, readers and followers may tolerate weak blog layout and design given superior content which is more personally relevant to the reader or follower.

When provided a sample of a fashion blog for assessment the respondents ranked

Content/Posts highest overall among five collective blog component feature categories.

Content/Posts was deemed most illustrative of all four elements at 32% (n=191), Images/Videos was next at 22% (n=128). Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships and Overall Blog Appearance were effectively tied at 17% (n=97 and n=102, respectively). Interactive Questions or Comments ranked the least representative of the four key elements of influence at only 12% (n=70) overall.

However, when the five collective blog component feature categories are considered individually, trustworthiness is most often represented by reader’s perception of two components; Interactive Questions or Comments at 44% (n=31), and Retailer/Designer/Product

Sponsorships at 38% (n=37) were deemed most representative of trustworthiness. Overall Blog

Appearance ranked next highest at 26% (n=27). However, Content/Posts 18% (n=34) and

Images/Videos at 12% (n=15) drop precipitously in terms of significance to readers in the context of trustworthiness.

Table 8 presents the summary of respondent’s perceptions of the four key elements in relation to the identified commonplace blog component features.

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Expertise

The top two blog components which respondents’ perceived to being most representative of the element of expertise were Industry Experience 21% (n=140) with Work Experience (19%, n=124) close behind. The next two components were Education 13% (n=87), Personal

Accomplishments/Awards (12%, n=80). This was not surprising given that work and industry experience is generally recognized as a precursor for being considered an expert in one’s field.

Although Content was ranked low by respondents within the context of expertise at only

7% (n=47), it was otherwise apparent that content and posts ranks high among respondents when considered in the context of their overall consideration of all four of the key elements of influence when actually assessing fashion blogs.

When provided a sample of a fashion blog for assessment the respondents ranked

Content/Posts highest overall among five collective blog component feature categories.

Content/Posts was deemed most illustrative of all four elements at 32% (n=191), Images/Videos was next at 22% (n=128). Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships and Overall Blog Appearance were effectively tied at 17% (n=97 and n=102, respectively). Interactive Questions or Comments ranked the least representative of the four key elements of influence at only 12% (n=70) overall.

However, when the five collective blog component feature categories are considered individually expertise is most often represented by reader’s perception of Content/Posts at 36%

(n=69). Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships and Overall Blog Appearance were effectively tied at 27% (n=26 and n=28, respectively) in reader’s perception of being illustrative of expertise.

Surprisingly, Interactive Questions or Comments was ranked the lowest at 4% (n=3) in respondent’s perception of being a component highly representative of expertise. It was thought

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that having access to personal recommendations and advice, or developing a two-way communication with the fashion blogger, would be a reliable proxy indicative of the element of expertise. However, is appears that readers and followers do not consider developing a two-way communication or having access to the blogger’s personal recommendations and advice as important as the blogger’s believe. However, the high ranking for Retailer/Designer/Product

Sponsorships and Overall Blog Appearance was expected, given that these two component features of fashion blogs have been seen as lending credibility to the blogger’s status or standing in the competitive marketplace.

Personal Relevance

Individually the respondents indicated that Appearance (18%, n=116) is one of the top four blog component features which is illustrative of personal relevance as a key element of influence. Industry Experience and Personal Association ranked equally at 14% (n=89 and n=87, respectively). Rounding out the top four was Work Experience at 18% (n=116). Product

Affiliation was perceived as least representative of being linked to personal relevance by the respondents. Again, it was apparent that Product Affiliations lacked as much influences as previously thought coming in at only 7% (n=42).

When provided a sample of a fashion blog for assessment the respondents ranked

Content/Posts highest overall among five collective blog component feature categories.

Content/Posts was deemed most illustrative of all four elements at 32% (n=191), Images/Videos was next at 22% (n=128). Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships and Overall Blog Appearance were effectively tied at 17% (n=97 and n=102, respectively). Interactive Questions or Comments ranked the least representative of the four key elements of influence at only 12% (n=70) overall.

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When the five collective blog component feature categories are considered individually in the context of assessing a sample fashion blog, personal relevance is most often represented by reader’s perception of Images/Videos at 38% (n=49). Interactive Questions or Comments and was next at 36% (n=25). Content was ranked next at 23% (n=43). Retailer/Designer/Product

Sponsorships and Overall Blog Appearance was ranked the least representative of being associated with personal relevance at 14% and 15%, respectively. (n=14 and n=15).

Presentation of photographic images and video are considered key component features necessary for exhibiting fashion content on fashion blogs and blogger’s websites, due in large part because fashion is a highly visual medium. Moreover, the microblogging social media applications have made exchange of images and videos much more abundant via the Internet.

When Interactive Questions or Comments is considered individually as a ranked blog component feature it ranks highest in relation to the two key elements of personal relevance and trustworthiness at about 80% (combined n=56). When considered in this light Interactive

Questions or Comments still remains an important component to include in the overall design and layout of a fashion blog and personal style fashion website. The component is less about perceived expertise and communicating expert advice to readers and followers as originally thought, and much more about perceived personal relevance and trustworthiness.

When respondent’s assessment results are combined for Content/Posts in the context of perceived expertise and authenticity the combined total is 60% (n=114). Further, when respondent’s assessment results are combined for Overall Appearance in the context of perceived expertise and authenticity the combined total is 58% (n=60). These two results appear to still support the conclusion that the blogger’s content, both visual and editorial, and the appeal of the

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blog’s layout and design remain significant items for fashion bloggers and lifestyle bloggers to thoroughly consider.

Authenticity

Respondents associated authenticity highly with Industry Experience (18%, n=118) following closely by Appearance (17%, n=112) and then by Work Experience (13%, n=85).

Blog/Website Layout (11%, n=74) and Content (11%, n=74) tied for fourth. Product Affiliation was perceived as least represented of authenticity with a low ranking of only 6% (n=37).

When provided a sample of a fashion blog for assessment the respondents ranked

Content/Posts highest overall among five collective blog component feature categories.

Content/Posts was deemed most illustrative of all four elements at 32% (n=191), Images/Videos was next at 22% (n=128). Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships and Overall Blog Appearance were effectively tied at 17% (n=97 and n=102, respectively). Interactive Questions or Comments ranked the least representative of the four key elements of influence at only 12% (n=70) overall.

When the five collective blog component feature categories are considered individually in the context of assessing a sample fashion blog, authenticity is most often represented by reader’s perception of Overall Blog Appearance at 31% (n=32). Images/Videos was next at 30%

(n=38). Content was ranked next at 24% (n=45). Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships was next at 21% (n=20). Interactive Questions or Comments was perceived as least representative of being associated with authenticity at 16%. (n=11). The low ranking of Interactive Questions or

Comments in the context of the element of authenticity was somewhat unexpected. It was assumed that the technological capacity to have a two-way communication with the expert and have ease-of-access via modern technology to the blogger and their personal and professional recommendations and advice was going to be perceived more highly important to the goal of

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conveying authenticity in a digital medium such as the Internet. The evaluation and analysis pointed directly to the blogger’s “About Me” page, its contact information, and social media linkages as the place for effectively conveying authenticity in a digital medium such as the

Internet.

Respondents ranked Industry Experience as the most representative of conveying authenticity. As mentioned earlier, when the respondent’s assessment results are combined for

Content/Posts in the context of perceived expertise and authenticity the combined total is 60%

(n=114). When the results are combined for Overall Appearance in the context of perceived expertise and authenticity the combined total is 58% (n=60). These two results appear to indicate that both visual and editorial content, as well as layout and design remain significant items for fashion bloggers and lifestyle bloggers to thoroughly consider when seeking to positively convey the element of authenticity.

Travel feature components was viewed to be a common component found among seven of the ten most influential sites which was readily used to convey authenticity to blog readers and followers. Travel and the associated content, both visual and editorial, typically provides a first- hand account of the blogger’s experience and recommendations or opinions. These shared experiences relate most directly to the individual blogger and their aesthetic, while at the same time presenting lifestyles that are matching the aspirations of prospective readers and followers.

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Table 8.

Representation of Four Key Elements of Influence

Work Industry Personal Product Total Key Element Education Appearance Layout Awards Content Experience Experience Association Affiliation Responses

69 72 Trustworthiness 84 (13%) 72 (11%) 107 (16%) 71 (11%) 49 (7%) 78 (12%) 51 (8%) 653 (nx4) (11%) (11%)

40% 81 Expertise 124 (19%) 87 (13%) 141 (21%) 50 (8%) 46 (7%) 51 (8%) 47 (7%) 667 (6%) (12%)

Personal 64 69 (10%) 55 (9%) 89 (14%) 117 (18%) 64 (10%) 87 (13%) 43 (7%) 57 (9%) 645 Relevance (10%)

74 Authenticity 85 (13%) 57 (9%) 119 (17%) 113 (17%) 74 (11%) 64 (10%) 37 (5%) 47 (7%) 670 (11%)

Perceptions of Blog Readers and Identified Influential Fashion Bloggers

Respondents were asked about fashion blogs that they actually do subscribe to in the

context of the four key elements of influence. They were asked to rank each of the four key

elements in order of importance on a scale of one to four. The respondent’s results can be seen in

Table 9.

The population of respondents to this question was a subset of the total of 159

respondents due to the fact that those respondents who do not subscribe to a blog or blogs did not

respond. So the total number of respondents is reduced to 133. Each element is ranked most

important to least important, with 1 being most important and 4 being least important. The four

elements are listed as Blogger Expertise, Blogger Authenticity (Looks/Content), Blogger

Trustworthiness (Advice/Recommendations), and Blog is Personally Relevant to Me.

On an individual basis it was apparent from the responses that Blogger Authenticity

(Looks/Content) was most highly ranked, both as the number one choice at 47 (35%) and

additionally as the number two choice by 47 (35%). When combined the total responses that

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ranked Blogger Authenticity (Looks/Content) as most important was 94 out of 133, or 70% of the respondents. Therefore, it is concluded that Authenticity is a key element of influence that must be addressed by a fashion blogger or personal style blogger when designing or developing their blog or website and producing visual and editorial content for it.

The next two highly ranked individual elements of perceived influence were Blog is

Personally Relevant to Me at 30% (n=40) and Blogger Expertise at 23% (n=30). The lowest ranked individual element was Blogger Trustworthiness at 12% (n=16).

What becomes readily apparent overall is that by combining the first and second ranking numbers and third and fourth ranking numbers, a distinct result is revealed that has important implications. In the context of Blogger Expertise 49% ranked this element important, while 51% ranked it least important. In the context of Blogger Authenticity 70% ranked this element important, while 30% ranked it least important. When considering Blogger Trustworthiness 34% ranked this element important, while 66% ranked it least important and when considering whether the Blog is Personally Relevant to Me (subscriber) 47% ranked this element important, while 53% ranked it least important. As a result, as indicated above Blogger Authenticity

(Looks/Content) is very important and both Blogger Expertise and Personal Relevance of lesser importance in relation to Authenticity, but more important than Blogger Trustworthiness overall.

More importantly, this result points to the conclusion that the four key elements of blogs, which sustain and enhance influence cannot or should not be viewed in isolation. There is an apparent perception by readers and subscribers that some blog component features serve multiple purposes in terms of wielding their influence. Moreover, it appears that their value to prospective readers and subscribers is also intermingled among all elements to some greater or lesser degree or can be viewed as a combination of two or more of the elements.

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Finally, four images of three different fashion blogs taken from the sample of ten

influential fashion blogs were shown to all respondents. The four images were taken from the

three fashion blogs, which included Gal Meets Glam, Song of Style, and Nicolette Mason. The

images that were shown represented various screenshot of an individual blog post, an About Me

page, a home page, and a grouping of images of outfits or a screenshot of a travel page. The

respondents were then asked to indicate what blog component features the look for first when the

actually read and review a fashion blog. The order choices were numbered from one to six items.

As discussed earlier content, both visual and editorial, should resonate with a reader and

their personal style. Images was ranked as the first item looked at most often, next was Content,

third was Products, fourth was the site’s “About Me” feature which typically identifies expertise

and professional status of the blogger as an individual in the category or industry. Fifth was

Comments and last was Other, where other included various ancillary topics such as General

Color and Pattern, Money, Where to find the look, Site design, and DIY items. See Table 9.

Table 9.

Perception of Four Key Elements of Influence

Key Element Ranked Ranked Ranked Ranked Ranked Total % Total % Total % Total % Total % Total by Respondent No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 Responses Blogger Expertise 30 23% 34 26% 39 29% 30 23% 133 100% Blogger Authenticity 47 35% 47 35% 23 17% 16 12% 133 100% Blogger 16 12% 29 22% 46 35% 42 32% 133 100% Trustworthiness

Blog’s Personally 40 30% 23 17% 25 19% 45 34% 133 100% Relevant Total Responses 133 133 133 133

Question Four (Q 4) asked, “Do the four elements of influence commonly embodied in

fashion blogger’s content ultimately relate to readers’ perception of influence?”

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Through examination and analysis of the component features and actual content reviewed among and within the sample of ten influential blogs, common blog component features were identified and selected as being highly aligned with sustaining and enhancing influence of fashion blogs. The sixteen common blog component features identified in the evaluation portion of the study appear to adequately capture and appropriately embody the four key elements of influence, based upon respondent’s blog experiences and interpretation of such features found to be commonplace among highly influential fashion blogs.

Table 10.

Summary of Common Blog Components

Key Element of Component Description Fashion Blog Influence Trustworthiness Blog Layout/Website Design Social Media Platforms Shopping/E-commerce Page

Expertise Collaborations/Partnerships Press (i,e., Fashion Week) Videos/Photography Personal Relevance Outfits/Lifestyle Looks/Inspiration Decor/Interior Design Authenticity About Page Contact Information Ask the Expert/Interactive Travel/Looks/Inspiration

Table 10 summarizes the blog component features that show a relationship to the four key elements necessary to enhance and sustain influence for fashion bloggers.

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Blog layout/website design, social media platforms, and shopping/ecommerce component features relate to the element of trustworthiness. The element of expertise appears to be best represented through components focused on collaborations, fashion news and trends, as well as photographic images and videos. Outfits/lifestyle, looks/inspiration pages, travel content, and décor/interior design content relate directly to personal relevance. Authenticity appears to be best represented by the components of the “About Me” page, contact information, linkages to social media platforms and applications, and two-way communication, which allow subscribers and followers to ask the expert questions and seek recommendations.

It is generally known that certain component features of blogs and technical aspects of websites serve multiple purposes in the context of the developer’s intent to attract followers, become influential to readers and followers, and sustain themselves as a business model. It is evident from this study that a majority of most influential fashion blogs have a significant number of the important component features identified as essential to attracting followers, and sustaining themselves, in addition to enhancing their influence among captured readers and followers.

Additional research would be beneficial to determine the actual degree of influence among and between each of the individual social media platforms and applications, particularly as these platforms continue to proliferate. This additional investigation could also reveal insights related to accessibility and ease-of-use given the substantial increase in smartphone technology and smartphone adoption. For example, does the degree of influence vary directly or indirectly as a function of the type of device used by subscribers or followers?

This study measured fashion blog readers’ perception of influence in the context of the blog components, social media linkages, and the identified four key elements of influence.

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However, it is possible that there can be more than the four elements, which were considered here. One additional element, which the study brought to light but did not fully investigate was accessibility – does access to internet-based technology (or lack of access) impact influence? The assumption is that it might, but further research would be required to definitively answer that question.

In the aggregate, responses appear to indicate that all those blog component features, which serve to communicate the blogger’s industry experience rank highest in collectively representing the total of the four elements of influence. Therefore, at a minimum a savvy fashion blogger should be adamant on displaying industry experience and work experience, presumably within the About Me page, but also in other areas of content, so as to ensure they gain a positive influence upon readers and followers.

Industry experience is one of the most highly regarded components readers value in the context of personal relevance also. Personal relevance is largely linked to the blogger’s visual images and videos, which makes logically sense given reader’s perceptions of influence because such content provides portrayals of fashion looks/inspiration and exhibitions of outfits/lifestyle.

The unforeseen finding for this study was the conclusion that product affiliation has no significant impact on readers’ perception of influence, either positive or negative. This result was surprising because previous research by others had indicated that product affiliation may leave readers and followers with a perception that the blogger is biased toward the fashion products that are made available for purchase on the blog or website. The remaining components had varying degrees of nominal separation, which makes it difficult to definitively rank these features in terms of degree of influence in the context of fashion blog components identified.

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Table 11. Respondents’ Read Order on a Blog

About Readers’ Other Total Number of Read Order Content Images Products Blogger Comments Components Respondents

Read First 27 (19%) 96 (68%) 10 (7%) 7 (5%) 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 142

Read Second 66 (46%) 30 (21%) 34 (24%) 9 (7%) 2 (1%) 1 (1%) 142 Read Third 35 (25%) 14 (10%) 54 (38%) 27 (19%) 8 (6%) 4 (3%) 142 Read Fourth 11 (8%) 2 (1%) 35 (25%) 65 (46%) 28 (20%) 1 (1%) 142 Read Fifth 3 (2%) 0 8 (6%) 31 (22%) 96 (68%) 4 (3%) 142

Read Sixth 0 0 1 (1%) 3 (2%) 7 (5%) 131 (91%) 142

Table 12. Readers’ Perception of Key Elements Representation on a Blog

Represent the Content Images R/D/P Comments Overall Total Elements Sponsorships Appearance Reponses

Trustworthiness 34 (24%) 15 (10%) 37 (27%) 31 (22%) 27 (19%) 144

Expertise 69 (45%) 26 (17%) 26 (17%) 3 (2%) 28 (18%) 152

Personal Relevance 43 (29%) 49 (34%) 14 (10%) 25 (17%) 15 (10%) 146

Authenticity 45 (31%) 38 (26%) 20 (14%) 11 (8%) 32 (22%) 146

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CHAPTER V

DISCUSSION

Previous work on fashion blogs has overlooked elements of influence as represented by content, as well as reader perceptions of elements of influence. Fashion bloggers are often both producers and consumers of blogs. Fashion blog readers often experience blogs differently and interpret content through their own lens, and blog creators produce content in a variety of ways to communicate their own unique message, particularly personal style fashion bloggers. Each participant in this study shared their perceptions, which were vital to understanding the relevant weight on each of the four key elements of influence in the context of commonplace blog components and features exhibited by the most influential fashion bloggers.

The study evaluated common factors associated with exhibiting content among influential blogs through identifying blog components and features that are characteristically associated the key elements of influence. The content evaluation and analysis suggests that there are common features consistently required to be part of a fashion blog in order to maximize the probability of attracting and maintaining followers, in addition to enhancing and sustaining influence on readers and followers.

The requisite fashion blog features should be consciously developed with the four key elements of influence in mind; (1) trustworthiness, (2) expertise, (3) personal relevance and (4) authenticity.

Fashion blog readers, subscribers and followers generally value these four elements positively and can be influenced as a function of recognizing each as being embodied in the fashion or personal style blogs features and content.

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When deployed, however, the blog features and components often serve multiple purposes, particularly as far as reader’s perceptions are concerned. The more highly valued blog and influential fashion blogger must purposefully find features and components on their blog or website that prominently communicate their industry experience, work experience, and personal appearance. As these characteristics are perceived as very important to fashion blog readers and followers. Further, when readers interact with a fashion blog or blogger, at least five blog features should be apparent to the reader so as to wield the most influence; editorial content, visual images and possibly videos, fashion products, blogger experiences – travel or otherwise events, and reader comments or a similar platform for two-way communications, as these are perceived to represent the embodiment of the four elements of influence as far as readers are concerned.

Further, it was concluded that it is imperative that the fashion blogs be active on all social media platforms. Fashion blogs and “internet-famous” influencers are one of the most important resources when it comes to decision making for consumers (Langham, 2015). In fact, over the last five years the fashion industry has been turned upside down by the advances in digital social media. Bloggers known to be fashion influencers hold a lot of power. According to The Next

Web, a website that shares, invents and advances technology developments, the fashion industry has become more democratized; meaning that the power is now in the hands of the social media consumer (Langham, 2015).

At a minimum, based upon this study, fashion bloggers need to be actively engaged on

Instagram and Pinterest, which are specifically targeted to fashion and design industries by category because both applications are built on the foundation of visual content. Instagram inspires decisions among users in fashion categories for about 42% of women ages 18-29

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(Storms, 2014). Recent studies have shown that Twitter is the least influential social network in the fashion category, likely due to the 140-character text format. However, more recently Twitter has successful integrated both images and video. With the exception of athletic apparel and footwear, Twitter had previously fallen short in terms of influence compared to more visual platforms (Storms, 2014). Millennials share more content over social media in general — often twice as much as the average user (Morrison, 2014). When they do share, the content typically generates 18 more click backs per link — 30% above average (Morrison, 2014).

According to recent study, 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believe word- of-mouth is the most effective form of marketing (Whitler, 2014). Electronic word-of-mouth marketing is gaining attention due to the evolution of social media and microblogging platforms

(Augustini, 2014). Positive feedback from a peer about a product is also perceived as a strong influencer of future purchasing behavior. As electronic word-of-mouth grows through proliferation of social media platforms and as platforms adopt more visual content. The speed of the messaging by influence bloggers, which will continue to influence and fast replace human word-of-mouth. Fashion bloggers’ ability to “significantly increase consumer engagement, brand chatter, and ultimately revenue” is ideal for designers who wish to remain relevant and maintain success in the industry (Wexler, 2012).

In examining the social activity surrounding the culture of blogging, we must also consider the experiences, roles, and contributions of readers, even when determined to be far less influential than those of the fashion bloggers. This exploratory study focused on readers’ perception of influence. It examined reading practices and perceptions of personal style blogs and fashion bloggers. Even though participants were all between 18-26 years old, the ways in

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which they interact with fashion blogs and are effected by external sources of influence appear to be common among the peer group. The analysis draws on response theory to claim that, rather than using structural or technical blog features to measure influence of a fashion blogger, it may be more informative to consider influence in terms of the fashion blogger’s exhibition of industry experience and visual and editorial content, together with the interactive features and social media linkages. All in the context of readers’ perception of the four key elements of trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance, and authenticity.

This work described the various ways in which readers’ perception is derived from the blog features, which is clearly more than just reading content. The study offers a concentrated view into the readers’ perception of fashion blog content and features in terms of blog influence.

Another important conclusion was that Millennials do, in fact, read fashion blogs, however, not as often as is expected. It was also revealed that most do not have their own personal blog, so they tend to adapt to a variety of structures and technical features of those that they do read or follow, effectively a form of influence in itself. However, the cohort also appears to influence and be influenced by one another within the same community or network (word-of- mouth and eWOM), which current appears to be why social media, fashion blogs, and friends appear are rated highly on the ranking of factors associated with influence when they seek to create their own personal style as individuals.

The majority of the respondents did feel that fashion, as a category, should be more narrowly defined and not necessarily include the categories of travel or décor and interior design.

This would imply that many fashion blogs and lifestyle blogs have extended their content beyond

“fashion” and should be more appropriately identified as lifestyle blogs and bloggers. Fashion

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blogs and bloggers may therefore be better served by not mixing and mingling content, such as health and beauty, décor and interior design, and food, as several of them currently do, but rather restrain themselves and focus on traditional fashion topics. Alternatively, over the past 18 months, a growing number of travel brands have begun working with personal style bloggers, from hotel chains to airlines to tourism bureaus (Indivik, 2016).

Less than 20% of the respondents were familiar with all the ten fashion bloggers presented in this study. Social media was the overwhelming answer as to how respondents became familiar with fashion bloggers, when they did follower a blogger. Most respondents were familiar with The Blonde Salad (Chiara Ferragni), Song of Styles (Aimee Song) or Sincerely,

Jules (Julie Sarinana). Fashion bloggers sustain and enhance their influence among readers and obtain new followers through use of digital technology, namely social media (microblogging), platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The aspiring blogger who seeks to be considered a fashion expert should deploy all of the available microblogging platforms to accelerate dissemination of their “expert” message. Expertise proved to be one of the most significant elements of influence for respondents along with authenticity, as ranked by relative importance by readers. Although significant overall in the context of fashion blogs and fashion bloggers, trustworthiness, and personal relevance were perceived as of lesser relative importance by respondents.

A good fashion blogger adds value via content and features for readers and demonstrates expertise because he or she discovers, evaluates, compares and introduces products to a wide audience (Bilkova, 2015). A fashion or lifestyle expert helps to explain how the products can be used to achieve a particular look or objective. Industry experience and work experience was perceived as influential to readers embodied in the elements of both expertise and authenticity.

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Fashion bloggers are not just people giving consumers an insider’s look into the products of the fashion industry, but today, they are providing advice and opinions to their community of followers and subscribers.

Retailers are partnering with bloggers on collaborations and bloggers are beginning to charge for their marketing and promotional expertise. For example, Reebok Classic is counting on fashion blogger Sincerely Jules to influence and spread the word for the Reebok brand. She is the new front woman for the Reebok Classic x Face Stockholm collection; in fact, she was photographed wearing all-white ensembles offset by neutral-colored footwear (Feitelberg, 2016).

Wendy Nguyen of Wendy’s Lookbook is another fashion blogger to score a brand collaboration, having teamed up with high-end jewelry brand Tacori. “Personally, I feel that the fashion blogging community has a lot to offer. We help curate, share trends, and have an intimate connection with our readers,” Wendy told Style Caster of the blogger/brand partnerships trend

(Blalock, 2013). Before embarking on this study, Collaborations, Brand Partnerships, and

Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships were thought to be viewed negatively and adversely impacting a fashion blogger’s influences based upon a follower’s perceptions of an inherent conflict-of-interest or bias toward the products or brands promoted by the fashion blogger.

However, the study indicated that such partnerships and product promotions are not perceived to be as bad as originally thought. In fact, the responses indicated that such business relationships are of little importance to fashion blog subscribers and followers.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLICATIONS

Despite some limitations, this study contributes to a better understanding of fashion bloggers influence on readers by highlighting the increasingly powerful role that fashion

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bloggers and personal style bloggers are playing in today’s marketplace. They are seen as opinion leaders in fashion by the industry and by their subscribers and followers.

In fact, bloggers can be very influential during the product diffusion process. However, to remain influential and relevant in today’s blogosphere and fast-paced digital culture, a social media presence is essential to any blogger and blog site seeking to maintain and sustain influence with readers and subscribers. Social media platforms are viewed as a required new set of tools used to extend the blogger’s content and helps to attract new readers, while messaging and communicating with existing subscribers and followers. Followers and subscribers do represent an appropriate unit of measure for assessing and weighing market influence.

The study supports the claim that blogs can be used for traditional business marketing purposes and still positively influence consumer purchases by way of incorporating e-commerce features. This is a useful finding from the study, particularly for retailers, fashion designers, and popular personalities seeking to influence consumer purchase behavior and build e-commerce sites to promote and sell fashion-related products. They should be cognizant of the four key elements of influence when developing and deploying their social media applications and establishing their web presence.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

One limitation is that the majority of the respondents were female, indicating that the results may be seen as gender biased.

Further, most of the respondents did not have a personal blog. A higher percentage of participants with their own blog sites would provide more insight into the intentions of fashion

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bloggers with regard to adding or deleting blog component features to effect influence. This study focused specifically on personal style fashion blogs and lifestyle fashion blogs; hence, other blog categories could yield different findings.

The study could be improved if a focus group component was added. A smaller representation of the overall audience would provide detailed responses not otherwise provided through the survey method approach. The focus group would have provided more time for individual investigation of the visual sample set of three fashion blogs along with the four pictures. Alternatively, focus group participants could specify the visual blog components and freely associate them with the four elements in a more interactive environment through use of a

Internet-based computers and a web browser so as to identify the elements of influence with each of the ten fashion blogs individually.

Another limitation to this study is the limited blogging experience from within the sample population. The responses could have been improved if respondents possessed a practical understanding of what fashion blogging encompasses as a sustainable business model.

Despite its limitations, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in the area of fashion bloggers by highlighting the blog features, which relate to influential fashion bloggers active in the marketplace today. As opinion leaders, these identified influential fashion bloggers are influential by way of their content/posts and images, along with their overall appearance and work experience and industry experience. The blogs at the “top” of the blog hierarchy are more likely to wield the most influence as measured by their popularity and appeal.

New entrants to the blogosphere can clearly benefit from emulating the strategy and tactics of the identified influential fashion bloggers.

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Future research could examine the most influential bloggers in all fashion categories, or collectively evaluate all the fashion categories by comparing and contrasting their content, features, and blogging practices. Understanding if bloggers use one another as leverage for their own blog and followings. Developing a list of values that are most important to least important relative to what a blogger needs to include on their blog or website could commercially valuable.

Another approach would be to survey or interview the fashion bloggers directly to determine their motivations and intentions in developing their websites and integrating social media platforms. The objective of this research would be to determine if they deliberately provide particular weight to any or all of the four key elements - trustworthiness, expertise, personal relevance and authenticity. This line of research can be a starting point for developing a deeper understanding of how bloggers can maintain and sustain influence on retail consumers and help inform fashion bloggers on the best practices.

Future research could provide an understanding of sponsorship that fashion bloggers receive. Provide an insight as to the different and numerous sponsorships fashion bloggers are provided with in regards to product placement within their website.

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APPENDIX A: INITIAL CORRESPONDENCE

Key Elements for Sustaining and Enhancing Influence for Fashion Bloggers

Q1 Informed Consent Statement: Key Elements for Sustaining and Enhancing Influence for Fashion Bloggers Dr. Kim Hahn & Alison Rossi.

You are invited to participate in research study that involves a survey. The study is conducted by Dr. Kim Hahn ([email protected]) and graduate student Alison Rossi ([email protected]), The Fashion School, Kent State University (KSU) at Kent, Ohio. This consent statement will provide you with the information on the research project, what you will need to do, and the associated risks and benefits of the research. Your participation is voluntary. Please read this carefully. It is important that you ask questions and fully understand the research in order to make an informed decision. The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, there is a need to understand why personal style blogs and lifestyle blogs represent the evolved form of fashion blogging and what features appeal to readers, engage them, and serve to sustain the blog and blogger. Second, is to identify, examine and isolate key characteristics that may positively affect reader engagement and relate those key elements with degree of influence. This study will descriptive and correlational using on-line survey questionnaire. Questionnaire includes measuring personal fashion blog involvement, along with perception of fashion blogs, involvement in fashion and background demographic information about participants. It will take approximately 10-15 minutes for participants to complete the survey. The risks of participating in this study are no greater than those encountered in daily life. There will be no costs for participating, nor will you benefit from participating. A limited number of research team members will have access to the data during data collection. You can refuse to participate without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. Your refusal will not impact current or future relationships with KSU. You may decline to answer any questions and you have the right to withdraw from the participation at any time without penalty. If you wish to stop participation during this survey, you may do so at any time by either closing the browser window or clicking the link on each page entitled "exit". You may request a hard copy of the survey from the contact information above. This project (needs to be) approved by the Kent State University Institutional Review Board. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant or complaints about the research, you may call the KSU IRB 330-672-2704. KSU IRB Approval Number (put here). Identifying information will not be included in the data that you provide. Your anonymity is further protected by not asking you to sign and return the informed consent statement. All information will be kept in a secure drive and only the researchers will have access to the data. Research participants will not be identified in any publication or presentation of research; only aggregate data will be used. If you are 18 years of age or older, understand the statement above, and freely consent to participate in this study, click "I Agree" button to begin the survey.

µ I Agree (1)

µ I Don't Not Agree (2)

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APPENDIX B: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

Q2 What is your gender? µ Female (1) µ Male (2)

Q3 What is your age? µ 18-20 (1) µ 21-23 (2) µ 24-26 (3) µ Over 26 (4)

Q4 To which racial or ethnic group do you identify most to? µ African-American (non-Hispanic) (1) µ Asian/Pacific Islanders (2) µ Caucasian (non-Hispanic) (3) µ Latino or Hispanic (4) µ Native American (5) µ Other (6)

Q5 What social media platforms do you use? Check all that apply θ Facebook (1) θ Twitter (2) θ Instagram (3) θ Google+ (4) θ Pinterest (5) θ YouTube (6) θ Tumblr (7) θ Bloglovin' (8)

Q6 When you think of fashion, what do you include? - Check all that apply θ Clothes (1) θ Beauty (2) θ Travel (3) θ Shopping (4) θ Videos (5) θ All of the above (6)

Q7 Do you believe you have a personal style? µ Yes (1) µ No (2)

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Q8 If you said YES when developing your personal style, what influenced you the most? Pick your 4 θ Magazines (1) θ Television/Movies (2) θ Social Media (3) θ Blogs (4) θ Fashion Blogs (5) θ Friends (6) θ Health & Wellness (7) θ Family (8) θ Peers (9) θ Celebrities (10) θ Other (11) ______

Q9 If you answered NO to Question 8, but wanted to develop a personal style, what do you think would influence you the most? Pick 4 θ Magazines (1) θ Television/Movies (2) θ Social Media (3) θ Blogs (4) θ Fashion Blogs (5) θ Friends (6) θ Health & Wellness (7) θ Family (8) θ Peers (9) θ Celebrities (10) θ Other (11) ______

Q10 Do you have a personal blog? µ Yes (1) µ No (2) µ Maybe (3)

Q11 Do you read any fashion blogs? µ Yes (1) µ No (2)

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Q12 How often do you read fashion blogs? µ Never (1) µ Less than Once a Month (2) µ Once a Month (3) µ 2-3 Times a Month (4) µ Once a Week (5) µ 2-3 Times a Week (6) µ Daily (7)

Q13 Are you familiar to any of these fashion blogs? Check all that apply θ The Blonde Salad - Chiara Ferragni (1) θ Song of Style - Aimee Song (2) θ Wendy's Lookbook - Wendy Nguyen (3) θ Kayture - Kristina Bazan (4) θ Sincerely Jules - Julie Sarinana (5) θ Fashion Toast - Rumi Neely (6) θ Gary Pepper Girl - Nicole Warne (7) θ Atlantic-Pacific - Blair Eadie (8) θ Gal Meets Glam - Julia Engel (9) θ Nicolette Mason - Nicolette Mason (10)

Q14 Are you a follower, through social media platforms, or subscriber to any of these fashion blogs? Check all that apply θ The Blonde Salad - Chiara Ferragni @theblondesalad (1) θ Song of Style - Aimee Song @songofstyle (2) θ Wendy's Lookbook - Wendy Nguyen @wendyslookbook (3) θ Kayture - Kristina Bazan @kristinabazan (4) θ Sincerely Jules - Julie Sarinana @sincerelyjules (5) θ Fashion Toast - Rumi Neely @rumineely (6) θ Gary Pepper Girl - Nicole Warne @garypeppergirl (7) θ Atlantic-Pacific - Blair Eadie @blaireadiebee (8) θ Gal Meets Glam - Julia Engel @juliahengel (9) θ Nicolette Mason - Nicolette Mason @nicolettemason (10)

Q15 How did you become familiar with these fashion blogs (or others not listed in the previous question)? Check all that apply θ Friends (1) θ Social Media (2) θ School (3) θ Magazine (4)

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θ Television (5) θ Word of Mouth (6) θ Designer/Retailer (7) θ Other (8) ______

Q16 Do you feel a personal connection to the fashion bloggers you follow/read (or any)? µ Yes (1) µ No (2) µ Maybe (3)

Q17 Would you want to be friends with the fashion bloggers you follow/read? µ Yes (1) µ No (2) µ Maybe (3)

Q18 Would you be upset if the fashion bloggers you follow/read stopped blogging? µ Yes (1) µ No (2) µ Maybe (3)

Q19 When you read a fashion blog, what do you look for first? (Rank 1-5) ______Content (1) ______Images (2) ______Products (3) ______About the Blogger (4) ______Comments (5) ______Other (6)

Q20 Authenticity is defined as the perception that the blogger’s persona was/is similar in both online and offline environments. Pick from the following your top 4 that you feel represent authenticity “being authentic” when it comes to a fashion blogger θ Work Experience (1) θ Education (2) θ Industry Experience (3) θ Appearance (4) θ Blog/Website Layout (5) θ Personal Association (6) θ Product Affiliation (7) θ Personal Accomplishments/Awards (8) θ Content (9)

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Q21 Personal relevance is defined as the participants all respond positively to the blog that they could relate to. Pick from the following your top 4 that you feel represent personal relevance in a fashion blogger θ Work Experience (1) θ Education (2) θ Industry Experience (3) θ Appearance (4) θ Blog/Website Layout (5) θ Personal Association (6) θ Product Affiliation (7) θ Personal Accomplishments/Awards (8) θ Content (9)

Q22 Expert is defined as the perception that the certain blogger is an expert on a certain subject; choosing only the best pieces of information to share with readers. Pick from the following your top 4 that represent expertise “an expert” in a fashion blogger θ Work Experience (1) θ Education (2) θ Industry Experience (3) θ Appearance (4) θ Blog/Website Layout (5) θ Personal Association (6) θ Product Affiliation (7) θ Personal Accomplishments/Awards (8) θ Content (9)

Q23 Trustworthiness is defined as the perception that the blogger is not being influenced by outside sources. Pick from the following your top 4 that you feel represent trustworthiness in a fashion blogger θ Work Experience (1) θ Education (2) θ Industry Experience (3) θ Appearance (4) θ Blog/Website Layout (5) θ Personal Association (6) θ Product Affiliation (7) θ Personal Accomplishments/Awards (8) θ Content (9)

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Q24 For those blogs you do subscribe to, please rank the following four elements based on their importance to you ______Blogger Expertise (1) ______Blogger Authenticity (Looks/Content) (2) ______Blogger Trustworthiness (Advice/Recommendations) (3) ______Blog's Personally Relevant to Me (4)

Q25 On this fashion blog, what part of the website would represent the four elements:

Content/Posts (1) Images/Videos (2) Retailer/Designer/Product Sponsorships (3) Interactive: Questions or Comments (4) Overall Appearance (5) Expertise “an expert” (1)

Authenticity “being authentic” (2)

Personal Relevance “relevant to you” (3)

Trustworthiness “make you trust the blog” (4)

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APPENDIX C: IRB APPROVAL LETTER

RE: Protocol #15-583 - entitled “Key Elements for Sustaining and Enhancing Influence for Fashion Bloggers”

We have assigned your application the following IRB number: 15-583. Please reference this number when corresponding with our office regarding your application.

The Kent State University Institutional Review Board has reviewed and approved your Application for Approval to Use Human Research Participants as Level I/Exempt from Annual review research. Your research project involves minimal risk to human subjects and meets the criteria for the following category of exemption under federal regulations:

• Exemption 2: Educational Tests, Surveys, Interviews, Public Behavior Observation

This application was approved on February 29, 2016. ***Submission of annual review reports is not required for Level 1/Exempt projects. We do NOT stamp Level I protocol consent documents.

If any modifications are made in research design, methodology, or procedures that increase the risks to subjects or includes activities that do not fall within the approved exemption category, those modifications must be submitted to and approved by the IRB before implementation. Please contact an IRB discipline specific reviewer or the Office of Research Compliance to discuss the changes and whether a new application must be submitted. Visit our website for modification forms.

Kent State University has a Federal Wide Assurance on file with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP); FWA Number 00001853.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 330-672- 2704 or 330.672.8058.

Doug Delahanty | IRB Chair |330.672.2395 | [email protected] Tricia Sloan | Administrator |330.672.2181 | [email protected] Kevin McCreary | Assistant Director | 330.672.8058 | [email protected] Paulette Washko | Director |330.672.2704| [email protected]

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APPENDIX D:

EVALUATION OF COMMON BLOG COMPONENTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA COMPONENTS

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0 0 8,333 5,866 48,228 63,802 MEDIAN 400,206 127,310 1,110,415 9 6 7 7 4 5 4 9 6 0 1 1 3 4 5 4 0 2,678 46,210 60,669 53,003 76,965 584,954 187,704 AVERAGE 1,344,894 WEIGHTS COMPONENT 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 9 0 0 PTS THE 3,250 SALAD 42,300 52,242 167,000 141,439 420,455 BLONDE 1,193,150 / lad m/ d? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO n=1 YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES com/ com/ http:// .com/ https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// SALAD blonde- om/user/ salad.com twitter.com/ Not Present com/blogs/ Not Present intent/follow? plus.google.co www.pinterest. chiaraferragni/ THE BLONDE www.theblonde www.facebook. theblondesalad source=followb utton&variant=1 .0&screen_nam e=TheBlondeSa www.instagram theblondesalad +ChiaraFerragni www.youtube.c TheBlondeSala sub_confirmatio www.bloglovin. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 GAL PTS 9,724 MEETS 33,900 77,400 45,438 COUNT 338,543 789,000 326,317 NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES com com 4990 http:// http:// http:// r.com\ https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// e/about\ /Gal-Meets- /juliahengel GAL MEETS galmeetsglam glam-4124327\ GalMeetsGlam\ plus.google.com/ blogs/gal-meets- https://twitter.com/ +Galmeetsglampag www.youtube.com/ www.galmeetsglam. www.facebook.com Glam-23245526010 www.instagram.com www.pinterest.com/ user/galmeetsglam\ www.galmeetsglam. www.bloglovin.com/ galmeetsglam.tumbl 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 9 0 0 0 PTS 1,858 34,400 33,851 49,400 COUNT 1,912,545 2,200,000 KAYTURE NO NO NO NO NO NO NO om YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES om\ com .com/ http:// posts\ http:// https:// fref=ts\ https:// https:// m.com/ https:// https:// https:// Kayture\ com/user/ KAYTURE twitter.com/ m/+kayture/ Not Present http://www/ com/blogs/ kayturepage/? www.instagra kristina_bazan www.youtube. kayture-11591 www.kayture.c www.facebook plus.google.co KristinaBazan\ www.kayture.c www.bloglovin. kayture.tumblr. 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 PTS 1,134 51,700 26,776 COUNT 153,901 753,000 128,100 128,034 A P BLOG \ m/ NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES http:// .com/ blog\ com/ http:// ot.com https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// ot.com https:// m.com/ atlantic- A P BLOG twitter.com/ 935435740/ Not Present .com/blogs/ Not Present www.instagra blaireadiebee www.atlantic- pacific.blogsp atlanticpacific BlairEadieBEE atlanticpacific www.atlantic- pacific.blogsp www.bloglovin www.facebook plus.google.co 106431543000 www.pinterest. 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 K 0 0 PTS 9,347 50,247 79,131 COUNT 420,091 875,937 625,081 126,586 WENDY’S LOOKBOO / k/ k/ k NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO om/ om/ YES YES YES YES YES YES com/ http:// http:// http:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// m/user/ k?_rdr=p ok/about wendys- om/blogs/ WENDY’S kbook.com twitter.com/ Not Present LOOKBOOK wendynguyen k.tumblr.com\ wendyslookboo wendyslookboo wendyslookboo wendyslookboo wendyslookboo www.wendysloo www.facebook.c www.instagram. plus.google.com +wendyslookbo www.pinterest.c www.youtube.co www.bloglovin.c 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 7 0 0 0 PTS 7,319 JULES 50,145 53,100 74,600 COUNT 118,271 SINCERE 3,200,000 NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES YES YES YES YES YES http:// s.com http:// s.com http:// JULES https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// m/blogs/ sincerely- SINCERE twitter.com/ Not Present m/tag/tumblr\ sincerelyJules\ 6866441/posts m/sincerelyjules\ sincerelyjules.co www.sincerelyjule www.instagram.c om/sincerelyjules plus.google.com/ 10928612867705 www.pinterest.co m/sincerelyjules1 www.sincerelyjule www.bloglovin.co www.facebook.co 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 PTS PEP 267 2,008 GARY GARY 30,600 12,100 COUNT 380,320 186,795 1,500,000 \ m/ NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES com/ com/ age\ gary- http:// .com/ http:// http:// http:// https:// _rdr=p https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// om/user/ ergirl.com ergirl.com twitter.com/ com/blogs/ GARY PEP GARY 734671049/ garypeppergirl plus.google.co 102923210404 www.pinterest. garypeppergirl garypeppervint garypeppervint www.garypepp www.facebook. garypeppergirl? garypeppergirl\ www.instagram www.youtube.c www.garypepp www.bloglovin. age.tumblr.com 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 7 0 0 296 PTS TOAST 22,300 COUNT 670,338 122,000 659,000 103,050 468,540 FASHION FASHION m/ NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES YES YES YES YES YES .com/ posts http:// ast.com https:// https:// https:// m.com/ https:// https:// https:// ast.com https:// TOAST fashion- blr.com\ rumineely rumineely com/user/ FASHION FASHION fashiontoast twitter.com/ rumilenora\ .com/blogs/ www.instagra +fashiontoast/ www.youtube. rumineely.tum www.fashionto www.facebook plus.google.co www.pinterest. com/rumineely www.fashionto www.bloglovin 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 0 0 135 PTS 5,348 8,500 37,430 23,300 41,544 COUNT MASON 105,000 NICOLETTE NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES http:// com\ http:// com\ http:// http:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// r.com\ MASON 4957/posts\ NICOLETTE shea-3877444 nicolettemason nicolettemason nicolettemason\ plus.google.com/ user/nicolettesara blogs/peace-love- https://twitter.com/ www.pinterest.com/ www.youtube.com/ www.facebook.com/ NicoletteMasonBlog www.bloglovin.com/ www.nicolettemason. www.instagram.com/ 11069509325577829 www.nicolettemason. nicolettemason.tumbl 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 9 0 0 PTS 59,600 10,614 85,600 46,313 COUNT STYLE 693,075 291,979 SONG OF 3,200,000 NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES com/ com/ posts http:// e.com http:// e.com STYLE https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// https:// om/user/ SONG OF twitter.com/ SongOfStyle songofstyle/ style-493482 AIMEESONG /+AimeeSong/ http://song-of- www.songofstyl www.facebook. www.instagram. www.pinterest.c om/songofstyle/ www.youtube.c songofstyleblog www.songofstyl om/blogs/song- http://fashionista.com/2015/02/most-influential-style-bloggers-2015 plus.google.com www.bloglovin.c style.tumblr.com

PLATFORMS (REFERENCE10) BLOG COMPONENTS ABOUT CONTACT SHOP/SHOPPING TRAVEL DESIGN DECOR/INT. BEAUTY FASHION OUTFITS/LIFESTYLE LOOKS/INSPIRATION HEALTH ACCESSORIES JEWLELRY COLLABORATION WEEK/PRESS FASHION VIDEO/PHOTOGRAPHY ASK/INTERACTIVE BLOG SCORE URL FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM GOOGLE+ PINTREST YOUTUBE WP/BLOG PLATFORM BLOGLOVIN’ TUMBLR