Case study
For my project, I am going to create a campaign that is targeted at generation alpha in the future. I am going to make three important decisions about how the campaign will be created and how this will reach out to my target audience. The decisions I have made is that I will create an influencer who will promote the campaign and who will feature in it. I have also decided to take an approach using videos and digital skills that can be used through social media and virtual realities such as the Metaverse. I have decided to campaign for the sustainable company Vinted that is an online space to sell second hand clothing items.
Vinted is a space where customers can view clothing items and are able to purchase one of a kind items at a cheaper price as they are second hand. This is a way of tackling the impact which fashion has on the environment. I spoke to 10 individuals, all different ages, about how they felt about Vinted and the current app which is used. All 10 of the individuals have heard of Vinted and have seen their current advertisements. 6 of the individuals have said that they have bought off of the Vinted app and although not all were happy with what they had received, they said they would buy again. This is due to the seller not specifying damages that the items have and then leading to the buyer purchasing damaged clothing. 1 individual said they have never purchased from the Vinted app but they would consider doing this as they like what the app is doing for the environment, however they prefer to purchase their clothing new even though it is causing a huge impact on the environment. The other 3 individuals were all 25+ and they said that they just buy what they see and like. This is both online and on the high street and they do not really care where it comes from as long as they receive what they have purchased. Although over half of the people who took my survey said that they shop on Vinted and enjoy using it, this is not enough people buying second hand to change the impact on the environment. Only 1 of the 10 people said that they would rather buy new than second hand and have never even considered buying second hand. Maybe to tackle the issue of people receiving damaged goods, Vinted could have the items sent directly to them where the items can be inspected and the buyer can be made aware of the damages and be given a choice of whether they wish to continue with the sale. Although this could mean that the item is thrown away, it will decrease the amount of unhappy buyers, giving Vinted a better reputation and more people will be inclined to buy from them. Vinted has over 8million users in the UK and majority of their users are 25-30 years old (Vinted.co.uk Traffic Ranking & Marketing Analytics, n.d.)
Generation alpha is known as a technologically advanced generation. As generation Alpha have grown, they have adapted to new technologies such as AI and voice command which has changed how they live their life. Generation alpha is the most diverse generation but not only in their ethnicities but their lifestyles compared to the other generations ((Iberdrola, 2023). I feel that to be able to reach out to generation alpha, I will need to reach out to them on their level and due to their lifestyles this campaign will need to reach them in an interactive way that will intrigue them so they will be able to interact and that their attention will be caught.
The influencer which I am creating will be digital and will appear as an avatar in the Metaverse. They will also have a space on social media. This will be similar to Lil Miquela who has a large following on TikTok and is a CGI influencer. However, my influencer will appear in the Metaverse and wil be interactive. She will wear items that can be found on Vinted and when asked she can tell others where she got the outfit and share how important shopping sustainably is. I will create the influencer who is going to promote the brand and who will feature in the fashion shows. I have messaged Martine Skaret (@martinejskaret) who is a micro influencer who shows how she styles her second hand outfits. I am hoping to be able to further understand her views to be able to add her views and opinions to my influencer. So far I am awaiting a reply from her but I am wanting my influencer to have her views and showcase second hand outfits in the way which she does. It is important to me
that the influencer I create has an interest in sustainable fashion and has their own message and opinions on this to share. I feel that Martine would be a perfect fit for the brand as she has featured on the Vinted Instagram page and is a known influencer for the brand.
In order to show the pieces, I will create virtual fashion shows within the Metaverse. The shows will pop up in specific locations throughout the Metaverse. Other brands have done this but in order to make my fashion shows stand out, the locations will be teased on social media such as instagram and the Vinted app. The fashion shows will then lead into a virtual Vinted pop up shop where items can be purchased through the Metaverse and these items can be ‘tried on’ by the consumer to see how the outfit will look on their avatar. The Metaverse is a utopia where people can live amongst one another and can look however they want to. This will play into the ‘try on’ so they will be able to look like their avatar and all of the items purchased will have a virtual version which the avatar will be able to wear as well as the consumer. There will be a limited number of fashion shows and the pieces which are shown are exclusive as these sellers only sell one of each item. If the consumer sees the piece they will need to act quick to purchase as there will be a limited amount available in limited sizes. I feel that this is one of the downsides to my campaign. To combat this I think that each show will have different size sections to show which products are available in each size. The shows will be diverse and inclusive but not in the right ways. I feel that the nature of second hand shopping will create an issue due to the limited stock and sizes (Cochrane, 2023). These fashion shows will be accessible through the Metaverse and technology such as VR sets and whatever other technology will be created in the future. Since this, I have gone a different way with the campaign, I have decided that a virtual shop in the metaverse will be more efficient for Vinted and for the consumer. The Vinted app is easy to use for both buyers and sellers and I do not want to take this away. The virtual shop will have a section for buyers and sellers and there will be a virtual dressing room where the consumer can see the item on their avatar to see if it matches their aesthetic and if they would ever consider wearing the item. Once purchased through Vinted, the item wil also be available for the consumers avatar to wear around the metaverse.
I have thought about the fashion shows taking place in real life and through the Metaverse simultaneously. This can be done using drones to create the real life movements in the Metaverse (Top 9 Technology Trends in the next 5 Years, 2022). However, after further thought I have decided
that the fashion shows should stay in the Metaverse to really connect with generation alpha and to be more accessible to everybody, no matter where they are physically.
In todays current climate, fashion has become the second biggest contributor to pollution in the world. Ever since fast fashion came around, items are bought and thrown away so quickly. This means that people are overbuying online as the items are cheap and are then not bothered about ever wearing them and they end up being thrown away. As technology advances people don’t need to worry about the physical world as they will soon be able to immerse themselves in their own virtual utopia. However, the physical world is still in crisis. Websites such as eBay, Vinted and Depop have become popular and is a place where people are selling their unwanted items as a way to earn extra money while also ensuring that the items have an extra use. The luxury vintage market has become popular as a way for people to be able to buy into their favourite luxury designers without having to pay the full price for the items. Usually, the products arrive in the original packaging, ensuring the luxury feel to the items. Reselling items of clothing gives the clothing a longer life meaning it will not go into landfill after being thrown away. Generation alpha are the ones that are living in this world. To begin with, I wanted to focus on the luxury resale market. However, I feel that Vinted as a whole has so much more to purchase than just second hand designer. Vinted is a place where fast fashion brands can be resold, stopping the fast fashion cycle which I feel is a stronger message and story for my campaign.
I have been trying to create visuals that show the message of the campaign but throughout this process I feel that I have gotten the message and story which I am wanting to promote confused. The message I want to share is that we can all end the fast fashion cycle and we need to make small changes in order to do this. Everything can be found on Vinted so perhaps people should check on there first before jumping straight to buying new.
Using the research on have already conducted, I have decided to take a different approach to this campaign than my original idea. I have changed the narrative of my campaign and am wanting to show this differently. Vinted shares the message of looking out for the planet. Using this I have created a narrative of a dystopia as the real world and an online utopia. This highlights the impact that fast fashion is having on the world and shows that without the right action being taken, the virtual utopia is all we will have left. I have tried to upload these images to AI to create a higher quality image but I do not like the outcomes of the images. The issue with AI is that it does nit know what you want when uploading an image and edits the images in a way that it adds effects.
In conclusion, I feel that using Vinted in the metaverse is a good way to engage generation alpha with the brand. Creating a dramatic reality will really show the impact which fast fashion is having on the planet and exaggerating these effects could be the wake up call which is needed to stop this from happening. The bleak ‘reality’ shown next top the virtual utopia is eye opening. I wanted to include the impact that technology will have on the world too. I personally see gen alpha as spending their whole life online and socialising through chat boxes and this leaves no need to leave the house. Even now the necessities can be delivered to our doors and the way things are becoming more convenient means that this will only continue in the future.
Iberdrola. (2023). Generation Alpha will lead a 100% digital world. Iberdrola.
https://www.iberdrola.com/talent/alpha-generation
Nast, C. (2022, October 31). Ralph Lauren partners with Fortnite to create first phygital fashion collection. Vogue Business. https://www.voguebusiness.com/technology/ralphlauren-partners-with-fortnite-to-create-first-phygital-fashion-collection
Cochrane, L. (2023, February 12). Cheap, cool and kind to nature: how secondhand became UK fashion’s main attraction. The Observer
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/feb/12/secondhand-clothes-uk-fashioncheap-cool-kind-to-nature
Top 9 Technology Trends In The Next 5 Years. (2022, June 22). ReadWrite.
https://readwrite.com/top-technology-trends/ Vinted.co.uk Traffic Ranking & Marketing Analytics. (n.d.). Similarweb.
https://www.similarweb.com/website/vinted.co.uk/#overview