Consumerism in the Digital Age: Exploring Innovative Commerce as a Design Strategy for Brand Creation and Implementation A thesis submitted to the School of Visual Communication Design, College of Communication and Information of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts By Vanessa O. Okojie December, 2018 Thesis written by Vanessa O. Okojie B.A., Cleveland State University, 2016 M.F.A., Kent State University, 2018 Approved by ______________________________________________________________________________ Jessica Barness, M.F.A., Advisor, Professor, School of Visual Communication Design ______________________________________________________________________________ David Robins, Ph.D., Acting Director, School of Visual Communication Design _____________________________________________________________________________ Amy Reynolds, Ph.D., Dean, College of Communication and Information TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………….............v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……….……………………………………………………………………..vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...………1 CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………. 3 Assumptions…………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 CHAPTER III: DEFINITION OF BRAND…………………………………………………………….. 4 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 The Paradigm Shift……………………………………………………………………………...……... 6 Brand Differentiation and Brand Relevance……………………………………………….………….. 6 CHAPTER IV: CULTURAL INNOVATION…………………………………………………………...7 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 “Blue Oceans” and Value Innovation………………………………………………………………….. 9 Cultural Expressions………………………………………………………………………………..… 13 Main Principles of Cultural Innovation…………………………………….………………………… 18 Cultural Innovation in Practice – The Nike Pro Hijab Case Study…………………………………... 21 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………... 25 Evolution of Social Commerce………………………………………………………………………..28 CHAPTER VI: INNOVATIVE COMMERCE: A NEW MODEL…………………………………... 43 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………... 43 Brand Analysis: Fashion Nova……………………………………………………………………….. 45 Brand Analysis: Fenty Beauty………………………………………………………………………... 49 Brand Analysis: Away Luggage……………………………………………………………………… 52 Brand Analysis: Dollar Shave Club…………………………………………………………………...54 iii CHAPTER VII: EVALUATION & INSIGHTS………………………………………………………. 57 Insights Gained From User Testing…………………………………………………………………... 57 CHAPTER VIII: IMPLICATIONS & CONCLUSIONS…………………………………………….. 59 APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………………………… 62 Selected electronic survey results…………………………………………………………………….. 63 Innovative commerce brand analyses………………………………………………………………… 67 Innovative commerce presentation methods…………………………………………………………. 70 References………………………………………………………………………………………………... 73 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The new brand model........................................................................................................................6 2. Blue Ocean Innovation Type 1: Technological Innovation............................................................10 3. Blue Ocean Innovation Type 1: Netflix’s Disruptive Innovation...................................................11 4. Blue Ocean Innovation Type 2: Mix & Match Innovation ............................................................12 5. Blue Ocean Innovation Type 2: Cirque du Soleil Mix & Match Innovation..................................12 6. Starbucks’ Cultural Innovation.......................................................................................................15 7. Nike’s Cultural Innovation.............................................................................................................17 8. Nikes Cultural Innovation: Nike Pro Hijab....................................................................................22 9. Mix & Match Innovation: Nike Pro Hijab......................................................................................23 10. Components of social commerce....................................................................................................29 11. A model for social commerce ....................................................................................................30 12. Social media measurement areas....................................................................................................38 13. A Model of Innovative Commerce.................................................................................................43 13.1. A Model of Innovative Commerce; create and build......................................................................45 13.2. A Model of Innovative Commerce; market and sell.......................................................................47 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank my parents for their unconditional love and support, for allowing me to pursue my passion for art; through design. I want to appreciate my mom who is my unrelenting cheerleader and therapist, who gives freely and listens lovingly without expecting anything in return, I do not know where I would be without her. I want to thank my dad who supported me my entire life. He worked so hard for his family, but he left this mortal plane too soon, and I wish he were here to see this. Thank you to Sarah Rutherford and Jenn Visocky-O'Grady who encouraged me to apply to the VCD master's program at Kent State University, I will forever be grateful to them. Thank you to Jessica Barness for pushing me to think critically and explore new ideas throughout my thesis research and my time in the VCD program and also for her kindness, empathy, and friendship during a hard time in my life when I lost my dad. Thank you to Ken Visocky-O'Grady and Gretchen Rinnert for being on my committee and making my thesis defense a pleasant experience. Thank you to all my peers in the VCD master’s program and to my friends Lisa Cook and Natalie Snodgrass for being part of my support system in graduate school, hanging out and going through our projects together made my days easier. And finally thank you to me, Vanessa Okojie, for not wallowing in self-pity and for finding a way to persevere in the face of adversity. Thank you for not giving up on your plan to graduate in the fall of 2018, thank you for keeping your promise to your parents and to yourself, thank you for pushing through the hard days and getting your work done in spite of everything that happened. Thank you for earning your master's degree. Your dad would be so proud of you. vi 1 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Being an avid participant in the culture of social media and remaining an active member in that community over the last few years, I began to notice that the social media landscape was shifting from a community of individuals who often shared superficial content, to a domain where the shared content was becoming transactional. Several individuals and companies have begun to conduct business via social media. Take Instagram for example: multiple retail companies have set up 'Instagram shops' to sell and market their goods to consumers. Some are more effective at doing this than others, and this could be as a result of factors such as the appeal of the product, and the quality and design of the product. Design plays a crucial role in social media for a business because a visually strong brand accurately describes the personality of a company. Effective design creates a professional first impression with customers. It affords brand recognition by connecting a target audience with a company and their products/services. Consumers assess the visual appearance of a brand online within an instant of encountering it, more than any heavily text-based content. The most successful brands tapped into something that was missing in their market category, and this thesis seeks to understand how they did that, if there is a formula for doing so, and if the said formula can be workable and attainable. Social and physical shopping have begun to interconnect in considerable ways within the last few years and now more than ever, consumers are demanding greater symbiosis between the two experiences. Currently, the first leg of the shopper’s journey often begins with social media as an engine for product discovery and research. Products being shared and validated on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are increasingly attracting consumers, and these platforms help justify a purchase. 2 The objective of this thesis is to find out how to create culturally resonant brands and market them on social media successfully. A holistic design strategy is needed from brand inception, to brand communication and product release. The goal of any suitable design strategy is to use design thinking to merge business and creative objectives in a meaningful way that communicates design as more than just an aesthetic practice. This thesis proposes innovative commerce—the intersection between cultural innovation and social commerce—as a model for doing so. Businesses succeed when they break through in culture because the potential to connect with specific groups of consumers can represent a significant opportunity. It is clear that the digital experience is evolving, and brands that want to stay ahead of the curve need to know how best to employ this evolving digital experience. 3 CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Assumptions The research process began with a list of assumptions on consumer attitudes regarding social media and business transactions