Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 1

The New Era in Fashion Advertising: A Case Study of Brandy Melvilles Use of
Instagram
Jessica A. Broas
April 26, 2016
Elon University

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 2
Introduction

As consumers continue to find ways to avoid traditional advertising methods,

there has been a shift in the advertising industry. Many companies are beginning to
utilize social media as an advertising platform to reach their target audience.
Instagram, founded in 2020, has become a very popular tool for social media
advertising. Instagram is a mobile photo and video sharing application or a fun and
quirky way to share your life with friends as a series of pictures (Instagram, 2016).
Today, there are more than 300 million users on Instagram and it has has become the
home for visual storytelling for everyone from celebrities, newsrooms and brands, to
teens, musicians and anyone with a creative passion (Instagram, 2016).
One company that has seen great success using Instagram as an advertising
platform is Brandy Melville. Brandy Melville is an Italian fashion company that was
started in the 90s. The company gained popularity throughout Europe before opening
its first store in America in 2009. The company has become very popular among
teens, its target audience, and a great deal of this popularity is a result of their social
media platforms, specifically Instagram. The companys Instagram has more than two
million followers and mainly features the same group of ultra-skinny, long-haired
white girls posing in the brand's clothes (Peterson, 2014).
The company does not use any forms of traditional advertising, nor are they a
logo-oriented brand. The company uses discreet signage in storefronts and it does not
rely on those wearing its clothing to promote the brand through the use of logos or the
brand name on merchandise. Instead, the company relies solely on social media
advertising (Marsh, 2014).

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 3
Literature Review

Before analyzing Brandy Melville and its use of Instagram as an advertising

technique, it is important to understand how social media can be a successful
advertising tool, specifically within the fashion industry.
Defining Advertising
Advertising can be easily defined as, any paid form of non-personal
presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor
(Strahle, 2015, p. 96). In order to successfully advertise to consumers, the company
acts as the sender and transmits its message, or its advertisement, to a targeted
audience. The audience then decodes the message it receives. If the audience decodes
the message correctly then they will respond appropriately and feel an incentive to
buy the product that was promoted through this advertising process. A successful
advertisement should trigger attention, gather interest, awake the desire, and finally
lead to the required action (Strahle, 2015).
The Shift Towards Social Media as an Advertising Technique
In recent years, there has been a shift in the advertising industry away from
traditional advertising techniques. Although advertisements in almost every medium
and form have continued to increase, consumers feel that they are in invasive and
actively attempt to ignore or avoid them (Keller, 2009). The current media
environment also allows consumers to pick and choose their relationships with
advertisements, as consumers have become increasingly more in control of their
media intake. They have the ability to determine what media to utilize, at what time,
and in what form (Keller, 2009). Furthermore, due to negative experiences with

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 4

traditional advertising, individuals no longer trust what some brands have to say
about themselves and prefer to ask their friends or peers about their experience with a
specific brand or product. According to Qualman (2011), 76% of consumers rely on
what others say to inform their purchasing decisions.
Social media advertising has risen in response to the negative connotation
surrounding traditional advertising techniques. Social media advertising provides
two-way direct communication between a brand and a consumer. It allows brands and
consumers to interact without any restriction in time, place, and medium (Kim and
Ko, 2011).
Brands have turned to social media as an advertising tool because these
various platforms have become an integral part of consumers daily lives. According
to the Uses and Gratifications theory, outlined by Williams (2013), there are a variety
of reasons people use social media. The basic premise of this theory says that
individuals seek out media that fulfill their needs, which leads to gratification. The
majority of social media users do so for social interaction, followed by those seeking
information to self educate and to find information about products, sales or deals
(Williams, 2013).
Social media as an advertising platform has also raised the value and
importance of consumers, With a significant percentage of people passing along
information to others through social media, the value of one customer is worth far
more than what he or she initially spends (Kim and Ko, 2011, p. 1481).

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 5

Using Social Media Successfully to Advertise

Research on social media advertising and marketing has seen significant
growth as its popularity as a business tool has risen. One of the main focuses of this
research is how a brand should use social media successfully in order to reach their
business goals. There are several different notable theories.
Social media can be used to gain control over public perception. According to
Kim and Ko (2011), social media activities of a brand provide an opportunity to
reduce misunderstanding and prejudice towards a brand and to elevate brand value.
Companies that utilize social media marketing must spark interest in their
consumers. Keller (2009) believes that companies that use social media successfully
tend to function more like entertainment companies than traditional advertisers. Also,
they realize that to engage consumers, they have to make their product interesting and
incorporate it into something that grabs the attention of consumers.
Those who already have a sense of brand loyalty should be engaged to create
conversations about the brand using social media. According to Wright, Harrington
and Kizer (2010), fashion companies need to utilize connectors and mavens.
Connectors have a prevalent place in social media forums and have the ability to
share content with others. Mavens have the ability to create word of mouth trends and
need to be accessed to create buzz around a product.
The Fashion Industry and Advertising
Fashion trends follow a diffusion curve and are adapted throughout their
lifestyle to better fit in with consumers norms, values and preferences. Trends are cocreated by the consumers who not only perpetrate them, but also adapt them along the

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 6

way. Therefore, when a trend is adopted by a number of people, it impacts the

perceived value of a product, positively or negatively depending on the reference
point for a particular consumer (Wolny and Mueller, 2013).
Fashion is classified as a high involvement purchase because it falls into the
category of being either expensive, rarely purchased, or it carries high-risk whether
social or otherwise. Due to the price and level of participation within these purchases,
high involvement purchases generate a high level of online conversation. Fashion, as
a high involvement purchase, is talked about among social media users who share
their stylistic choices with the expectation of receiving feedback (Wolny and Mueller,
2013).
Manikonda, Venkatesan, Subbarao, and Baoxin (2015) believe that the
advertising strategies used in the fashion industry must be qualitatively different than
other marketing and advertising approaches. Fashion advertisements must be tailormade to match the taste of the target audience rather than to emphasize the necessity
of the product.
Emotionalizing Fashion Advertising
As consumers continue to feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the amount of
advertisements they receive each day, advertisers have to find a way to break through
the noise to reach them. Many advertisers do this by successfully appealing to
consumers emotions. By appealing to the audiences emotions, a higher level of trust
is built between the brand and the consumer because consumers tend to feel before
making a decision (Strahle, 2015). This is especially common in fashion advertising.
Many fashion companies create emotional advertisements in order to promote their

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 7

products and gather customers attention for their brand (Strahle, 2015). According to
Strahle, Advertisements are external triggers that can be managed intentionally to
activate specific moods and emotions in others (Strahle, 2015, p. 97). Therefore,
advertisers try to evoke positive emotions within consumers through their
advertisements to influence the audiences reaction in their favor. If an advertisement
successfully creates a positive feeling within the consumer, the consumer will likely
transfer these feelings to the brand and have an overall positive brand perception
(Strahle, 2015).
Happiness, attractiveness, freedom, and elegance are examples of the
emotions that fashion advertisements strive to appeal to within consumers
Attractiveness is extremely important because fashion products are often bought
because the consumer wants to indulge or pursue in some kind of self enhancement
(Strahle, 2015, p. 101). Therefore, fashion companies create visually appealing
advertisements that consumers can strive to replicate. An example of this is the use of
highly attractive and skinny models in fashion advertisements. Models have a highly
important role in fashion advertising because they act as the medium between the
consumers and the promoted product (Strahle, 2015 p. 105). The model creates the
desirable image that the audience wants to recreate which they believe can be done by
purchasing the advertised product. The image, however, should not be so attractive
that it seems unattainable to the target audience (Strahle, 2015).
Instagram as an Advertising Platform
In order to establish a framework for analyzing Brandy Melvilles Instagram
strategy, the use of Instagram as an advertising tool needs to be defined. Instagram is

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 8

a very visual social media platform but, it offers more than sharing photos; it offers
creativity, a community, interaction, storytelling and lets the user on the other end
who is receiving the photo to interpret it in a way that fits their needs (Bevins, 2014).
There are various strategies that companies should use to reach consumers
successfully via Instagram. It is important for brands to use a consistent color palette
on their social media platforms. This helps consumers become familiar with a brand
(Perkins, 2014). Companies should also build a community around a hashtag, which
can be done through repetition (Da Cuhna, 2015). This hashtag should also include a
call to action if necessary. Lastly, companies should attempt to appeal to consumers
emotions and attempt to evoke a specific emotion through their content (American
Research Group, 2012).
Methodology
This study aims to answer the research question, how does Brandy Melville
use Instagram to successfully advertise its brand? In order to do this, a content
analysis of Brandy Melvilles Instagram account was performed.
To gather a representative and systematic sample of Brandy Melvilles
Instagram posts, the author chose a time frame of one year, from April 2015 to April
2016. Two posts were then sampled from each month, the first post and a post
halfway through each month. This process produced 24 photos, when the 24th photo
was selected from the last sample month of April 2016.
Brandy Melvilles Instagram posts were examined for the various
characteristics that are identified as necessary for using Instagram successfully as an
advertising platform. This included examining the features of the individual/

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 9

individuals in the post if applicable, the attire worn by the individual/individuals if

applicable, the color palate within the image, and the emotional feeling conjured by
the image which was measured based the expression and body language of the
character or character in the photos if applicable. The captions of each image were
also analyzed for the use of hashtags and a call to action
Findings
Out of the 24 systematically sampled Instagram posts, 22 of these posts
included one or more individuals. The two that did not include individuals were
photos of the inside of a Brandy Melville store. All of the individuals in the post were
females. The women in the posts were Caucasian, appeared tall and slim, and had
very long hair. An example can be seen in Figure 1. A majority of the women had
blonde hair, though brunettes were also included in some posts. The attire worn by
the women in the posts was very plain. There was a limited amount of pattern and
most outfits consisted of a t-shirt or tank top and either a denim skirt, shorts or pants.
The clothing had a muted color palate- mostly grey, black, white, light pastels, and
light-wash denim. The clothing also provided minimal coverage- midriffs, legs, and
arms were exposed in a majority of the images.

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 10

Figure 1: Aesthetic appeal of model

All of the photos were dull in terms of coloring. 12 of the images were taken
in front of a plain white background. Other backgrounds included brick walls, city
streets, and a beach. If the background was not a wall, it was photographed out of
focus and therefore blurry.

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 11

The 22 images that included individuals conjured positive emotions. The

photos aimed to show happiness and the feeling of being carefree through the facial
expressions and body language of the women in the photos. In 12 of the sampled
photos, the girl are smiling or laughing. 6 of the photos also include the model
making a playful face, such as sticking their tongue out which can be seen in Figures
2 and 3. In the 10 photos that include more than one individual, the models are
interacting in some way: leaning on each other, linking arms, or making eye contact,
which can also be seen in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 2 & 3: Emotional Appeal

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 12

All 24 of the photos had textual captions. Every caption included the hashtag
BrandyUSA. In 13 of the sampled posts, this hashtag was the only textual element
of the image. 10 of the sampled posts included this hashtag followed by the names of
the products being worn by the models in the photo. Only one of the posts included a
call to action. This post was promoting a model casting for Brandy Melville and it
included the location, time and date of the event.
Discussion
This study seeks to answer the research question, How does Brandy Melville
use Instagram to successfully advertise its brand. By analyzing Brandy Melvilles
Instagram account, the properties that Brandy Melville uses to advertise can be
identified. Brandy Melville uses girls with a very distinct look in their posts. The girls
are attractive, tall, slender, and have long hair. By using models with this extremely
appealing aesthetic, they are creating a desirable image that their target audience,
teenage girls, will want to recreate by purchasing the clothing the models are
advertising. Furthermore, Brandy Melville attempts to evoke positive emotions within
those viewing the Instagram post. The smiling, or playful faces of the models within
the photos are intended to portray happiness and a very carefree attitude. As an
advertising technique, those viewing the photos will believe that they will develop
this happy, carefree attitude if they shop at Brandy Melville and recreate the outfits
that the models are featured in. The very dull, light color scheme of the photos
directly corresponds to this carefree mood Brandy Melville seeks to promote and also
represents the look of their stores and clothing. They also use very simple, plain
background such as a white wall so that the characters and their attire are the main

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 13

focus of the image. This limits the amount of noise that could interfere with the
advertising message being sent to consumers.
The use of the simple hashtag, BrandyUSA is strategic because it is simple
and can be remembered very easily. Therefore, it is easy to create a community
through the use of this hashtag and user-generated-content can be readily found
through a search of #BrandyUSA within Instagram. The listing of the product
names can be identified as a subtle call to action, simplifying the process of buying
the clothing advertised by providing consumers with the details they need if they
interpret the advertising message correctly and choose to purchase. By keeping the
call to action very subtle, Brandy Melville is concealing the idea that these photos are
advertisements. This is done to counteract the negative perception consumers feel
toward advertising.
Conclusion
The research in this study demonstrates how Brandy Melville utilizes
Instagram successfully as an advertising tool. Brandy Melville uses models with a
certain look, a color scheme that corresponds with their store aesthetic, and a
repetitive hashtag throughout their Instagram posts. They also use a very subtle call to
action within some of their Instagram posts, masking the advertising nature of the
posts and appealing to the average consumers of today who find advertisements
intrusive and annoying. Because they are a fashion company, the model is the most
important aspect of the photo and is the advertising mechanism. Therefore, they chose
visually appealing models that look happy and carefree to convince consumers that
they can recreate this desirable image by buying the promoted clothing.

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 14

This study did have limitations, including the small sample size. Only 24
images were looked at on only one of Brandy Melvilles social media accounts. The
company also utilizes Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The sample size would need
to be expanded to come to a more representative conclusion on Brandy Melvilles
social media advertising strategy. Furthermore, there is limited research on Instagram
as an advertising technique because the social media platform is relatively new. As
more companies begin to turn to Instagram as a business and communication tool,
further research should be done on how it can be utilized successfully.

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 15

Works Cited
American Research Group. (2012). 10 rules for more effective advertising. Retrieved
April 26, 2015, from http://americanresearchgroup.com/adrules/
Bevins, C. (2014). Get Schooled: A visual social semiotic analysis of Targets
branding using Instagram. Masters thesis. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from
http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?articl
e=1329&context=masters.
Da Cunha, M. (2015). 10 Instagram marketing tips to make people <3 your brand.
Retrieved April 26, 2015, from
http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/01/06/instagram-marketing
Huey, L. S., & Yazdanifard, R. (2014). How Instagram can be used as a tool in social
network marketing. Masters thesis.
Instagram. (2016). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
https://instagram.com/aboutus
Keller, K. (2009). Buliding strong brands in a modern marketing communications
environment. Journal of Marketing Communications, 15(2-3) 139-155
Kim, A., & Ko, E. (2011). Do social media marketing activities
enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal
of Business Research, 65(10), 1480- 1486
Manikonda, L., Venkatesan, R., Subbarao, K., Baoxin, L. (2015). Trending Chic:
Analyzing the Influence of Social Media on Fashion. ArXiv.
Marsh, L. (2014, December 11). Brandy Melville: Instagram's First Retail Success.
Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-11/brandy-melvilleinstagram-s-first-retail-success
Perkins, M. (2014). How to develop a strong visual brand on social media. Retrieved
April 26, 2015, from http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/strong-brand-voicesocial-media
Peterson, H. (2014, October 08). An Obscure Italian Brand Is Suddenly The Hottest
Name In Teen Retail. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
http://www.businessinsider.com/brandy-melville-is-wildly-popular-2014-10

Brandy Melvilles use of Instagram

Broas 16

Qualman, E. (2011). Socialnomics: How Social Media

Transforms the Way We Live and do Business . Ebsco Publishing.
Strahle, J. (2015). Emotionalizing Fashion Retail. Books on Demand.
Williams, A. (2013). Why people use social media: a uses and gratifications
approach. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 16(4), 362369.
Wolny, J., & Mueller, C. (2013). Analysis of fashion consumers motives to engage
in electronic word-of-mouth communication through social media platforms.
Journal of Marketing Management, 29(5-6), 563576
Wright, E., Khanfar, N., Harrington, C., & Kizer, L. (2010). The Lasting Effects Of
Social Media Trends On Advertising. Journal of Business & Economics
Research, 8(11), 73-78.