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A comparison of Pretty Little Thing’s online marketing on Instagram, from a month ago, to during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Social media can be defined as “a blur of likes, tweets, shares, posts and content” (Bullas, 2014, cited in Heggde and Shainesh, 2018). With more and more people, regardless of age, spending a lot of time on social media, social media marketing has become especially popular with online only clothing brands. Social media marketing has been used to refer to the use of online social media platforms for the purpose of marketing (Sharmma and Verma, 2008). With this shift to social media, businesses are now adopting digital marketing tools in order to market their products anytime and anywhere. It is because of this reason that social media is completely transforming the way that businesses work (Sheth, 2008, pp10). I am going to compare online clothing retailer, Pretty Little Thing’s online marketing on their Instagram account from a month ago, to now, during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Figure 1 Pretty Little Thing Logo (PrettyLittleThing.com, 2020) 

Methods

In order to gather results, I performed textual analysis on Pretty Little Thing’s Instagram posts from a month ago, and within the past few weeks. Using textual analysis enabled me to interpret and understand these social media posts, in relation to the different social context surrounding the posts a month ago, and now (Caulfield, 2020). We interpret texts in order to try and make sense of the ways in which particular cultures at certain times, try to make sense of the world around them (McKee, 2003,pp8). I decided to use textual analysis because it allowed the most creativity when choosing what to analyse within my chosen texts, whilst still being able to relate my findings to the different social context surrounding each of them. I focused mainly on analysing the word choice, design elements, and target audience in a number of posts from a month ago, and then a number of posts from the past few weeks, during the current Covid-19 pandemic. This means I looked closely at the different hashtags that have been created and utilised, images that were posted then and now, how the choice of language changed from before to now, and the number of Instagram posts and Tweets that were being posted.

Discussion and contribution – findings and analysis

The results that I found were that before lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic, Pretty Little Thing mainly posted images from campaign shoots and other photoshoot content to their Instagram page (see figure 2 and 3). There were no key hashtags that stood out as being regular, they mainly promoted their new collections and influencer collaborations, and they used regular questions at the end of their posts, such as ‘who’s ready for the weekend?’, encouraging interactivity. Since the Covid-19 pandemic however, Pretty Little Thing’s marketing on Instagram has changed due to changing demands from their consumers, and changed demands from the political environment surrounding them. 

Figure 2 PLT Swimwear Campaign (PrettyLittleThing, 2020)

Figure 3  PLT Campaign Shoot LA (PrettyLittleThing, 2020) 

A main difference is that the content PLT are now posting is obviously pre-made, or from influencers and models who are able to take their own photographs and influencer selfies from their own home (see figure 4, showing Rachel Leary, a Youtuber and influencer). This relates to themes discussed within the module surrounding influencer selfies, which are used in this case to increase attention and improve Pretty Little Thing’s online status and act as a marketing technique and branding tool (Senft, 2013). These selfies could be argued to be acting as a form of labour, in which users turn themselves into commodities so they can claim themselves as valuable within capitalism, which only considers them valuable if they are portrayed as ‘sexy bodies’ (Iquani and Schroeder, 2016, pp.411). This relates to PLT as these influencers feel valued after taking and posting these selfies which end up being seen by thousands of consumers on Pretty Little Thing’s social media, therefore acting as a form of labour because PLT did not have to do anything themselves except upload the selfie, the influencers took on all the work.

Figure 4 Influencer Selfie (PrettyLittleThing, 2020)

There is also a lot of mentioning of words relating to the discourse of the current pandemic, such as ‘home’, ‘casual’, ‘safe’ and ‘isolation’, as well as an increased use of hashtags relating to Pretty Little Thing, such as #StayHomeWithPLT and #PressPauseWithPLT (see figure 5). These hashtags and words within the discourse of the current pandemic were on most Instagram posts one way or another, and PLT are encouraging people to post their own looks from home with these hashtags, with the promise of some of them getting reposted onto their Instagram page, encouraging interactivity from their consumers. Bruns and Burgess (2011) have argued that hashtags can allow certain types of communities to emerge and form, therefore in PLT’s case, the hashtags they use act as smaller communities in themselves, and create a place filled with just their content, which consumers can add to and be a part of by using the hashtag on their own Instagram content. Furthering from this, PLT continued to add a question onto the end of most of their uploads, again, engaging with audiences, these are now however mostly related to life during lockdown, and what it will be like after, such as ‘where’s the first place you want to travel to?’. By participating actively in this way with their consumers online, Pretty Little Thing can enrich consumers experience, making the content more meaningful and focused. Communication with consumers on social media in this way also positively affects brand and customer equity (Kim and Ko, 2012). Customer equity is improved by strengthening consumer relationships and as a result, positively affecting purchase intent. This therefore could be a key reason for Pretty Little Thing wanting to consistently interact with consumers on their Instagram page, as building trust and good relationships will ultimately lead to sales, and then perhaps repeat sales. This trust between consumer and business has become increasingly important during uncertain times, such as the current Covid-19 pandemic, as consumers will only want to shop with brands they trust. Furthermore, PLT have also turned to using their platform as a way of entertaining potential consumers, by posting a schedule for the weeks content in advance (see figure 5 and 6), and then putting on quizzes, concerts, question and answer sessions and live workouts on their page for people to access and engage with. This further supports the above point, proving how vital consumer engagement is on social media, as this has further positive consequences such as enhancing customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and increasing repurchase intentions (Gumerus et al, 2012). 

Figure 5 Stay Home with PLT Instagram Schedule (PrettyLittleThing, 2020)

Figure 6 Live Instagram Workout (PrettyLittleThing, 2020)

Online loyalty to brands is dependent upon consumer trust (Harris and Goode, 2004), and trust is arguably more important in the virtual world than it is in the real world (Rowley, 2009) due to there being no personal interaction (Ibeh et al, 2005; Ratnasingham, 1998). This could be the main reason that Pretty Little Thing are so regularly interactive on their Instagram account, and have continued to maintain this over the period of lockdown. They want to keep the trust they have built with their consumers and continue to build more trust with wider audiences, therefore by posting regularly they are staying connected to the virtual world and their consumers, and keeping a good social presence even through very difficult, testing times for their brand. Furthermore, brand familiarity also influences purchase intention, and therefore the more familiar consumers become with Pretty Little Thing as a brand, the more likely they are to purchase from them, which is why it is so important PLT remain interactive with consumers (see figure7). The target audience remains the same, although it could be interpreted that PLT are trying to appeal and aim their clothing at a wider audience now as they are using the #stayhomewithplt hashtag, as well as marketing ‘lockdown loungewear looks’ and comfy clothing to be worn at home, which appeals to everyone during this period of time.

Figure 7 Lockdown Look (PrettyLittleThing, 2020) 

To conclude, Pretty Little Thing have to ensure they stay current at all times, and there is evidence to say that familiarity with online brands, together with previous experience of shopping online, is a key influence in consumer perceptions of the risk associated with shopping online, as well as buying intentions to purchase products online (Park and Stoel). This trust becomes even more important during such uncertain times, like the current pandemic, and therefore it has become even more critical for Pretty Little Thing to engage with their consumers, and ensure their social presence remains the same, if not better, than normal. The potential that social media has for a global reach is indisputable, and therefore it is so important that Pretty Little Thing are always coming up with new ways to be noticed by new consumers, and as a result, stay interactive with current ones too.

References

Bruns, A. Burgess. J, Crawford, K. and Shaw, F. ( 2012). “#qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland floods,” Brisbane. April 2020. [http://eprints.qut.edu.au/48241/]

Caulfield, J. (2020). A Quick Guide to Textual Analysis. Scribbr. April 2020. [https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/textual-analysis/]

Drury, G. (2008). “Opinion Piece: Social Media: Should Marketers Engage And How Can It Be Done Effectively?”. Journal of Direct, Data And Digital Marketing Practice. 9(3). pp274-277.

Gummerus, J. Liljander, V. Weman, E and Philstrom, M. (2012). “Customer Engagement in a Facebook Brand Community”. Management Research Review. 35(9). pp857-877.

Harris, L.C. and Goode, M.H. (2004). “The four levels of loyalty and the pivotal role of trust: a study of online service dynamics”. Journal of Retailing. 80(2). pp.84-95.

Ibeh, K.I.N. Luo, Y. and Dinnie, K. (2005). “E-branding of strategies of internet companies: some preliminary insights from the UK”. Journal of Brand Management. 12(5). pp.49-61.

Iquani, M. and Schroeder, E.J. (2016) “#selfie: digital self-portraits as commodity form and consumption practice. Consumption Markets and Culture. 19(5). pp.405-415. DOI: 10.1080/10253866.2015.1116784.

Kim, A. J and Ko, E. (2012). “Do Social Media Marketing Activities Enhance Customer Equity? An Empirical Study of Luxury Fashion Brand”. Journal of Business Research. 65(10). pp.1480-1486.

McKee, A. (2003). Textual Analysis : A Beginner's Guide. SAGE Publications.London.

Park, J. and Stoel, L. (2005). “Effect of brand familiarity, experience and information on online apparel purchase”. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management.33(2). pp.148-160.

Rowley, J. (2009), "Online branding strategies of UK fashion retailers", Internet Research. 19(3). pp.348-369. https://doi-org.ezproxy.brunel.ac.uk/10.1108/10662240910965397

Senft, T.M. (2013). Microcelebrity and the Branded Self. In Hartley, J. Burgess, A and Bruns, A. A Companion to New Media Dynamics. (eds). doi:10.1002/9781118321607.ch22.

Sharmma, S. and Verma, V.H. (2018). Chapter 2: Social Media Marketing: Evolution and Change. In Heggde, G, & Shainesh, G (eds). Social Media Marketing : Emerging Concepts and Applications. Palgrave Macmillan US. Singapore. pp.3-19.

Sheth, N.J (2008). Chapter 1: How Social Media Will Impact Marketing Media. In Heggde, G, & Shainesh, G (eds).Social Media Marketing : Emerging Concepts and Applications. Palgrave Macmillan US. Singapore. pp.19-37.

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Post 2 – Internet Addiction, Disconnectivity and Digital Detox

From this lecture, the key issue I have identified is the idea that excessive use of technology and social media can affect mental health. This notion is supported with a longitudinal study which found respondents with increased activity on Facebook more likely to report negative impacts on their well-being (Shakya and Christakis, 2017). However, it is important to note that this excessive use could be due to the popular discourse of people being ‘addicted’ to technology, causing anxiety, and fear of missing out if they are not up to date on with what is happening on social media. I feel that this is a concern which is very significant as plenty of research supports the idea that excessive social media use can affect mental health, outcomes include suicidality, loneliness and decreased empathy (Berryman et al, 2017), and if this is the result of internet and social media ‘addiction’ due to various factors, more should be done to educate and protect people who have recognised that this applies to them.

Figure 1: Social Media Icons (Shaer, 2020) 

A very current example which relates to myself and my friends is the negative impact that using social media throughout the Coronavirus pandemic is having on our mental health. Through constantly refreshing social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook and receiving updates from different news outlets multiple times a day, we have become obsessed with staying in the loop of all of the negative impacts that the pandemic has had all over the world. This can be supported by the notion that social media and phone apps operate like ‘gambling slot-machines’ in their ‘rewards’ (Harris, 2017 cited by Busby, 2020), in this situation the reward for us is feeling more knowledgeable on everything going on, although as a result the addiction we have with checking social media and news websites causes more anxiety about the pandemic. 

Figure 2 Panic Buying: Tweet (Sowery, 2020)

Figure 3 Boris Johnson: Tweet (Sowery, 2020)

Furthermore, social media use provides value for users, which include the pleasures of sharing, being connected and staying ‘in the loop’, linking to the notion of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Social media is therefore an important interactive instrument used by young adults and youths and plays an active role in creating and shaping their experiences. Moreover, social media use allows the formation of online identities (Berryman et al, 2017), and therefore gives people the pleasure of being connected and ‘in the loop’, but as these things create such a pleasure, without them social media users can be left feeling dissatisfied with their real life and isolated from their online life. This reliance on social media is what leads to social media addiction, and therefore

In conclusion, the very fact that social networking sites are designed to give us “…that itch to glance at our phone” and to “get us scrolling as frequently as possible” (Bosker, 2020. Pp2), in my opinion is enough to show how addictive they are designed to be. There is therefore a need to educate people on the dangers of being addicted to social media, as the most serious consequences are poor mental health, and increased anxiety. Digital detoxing, where efforts are taken to take a break from online or digital media for a period of time and efforts are taken to restrict the use of smartphones and other digital devices (Syversten and Enli, 2019) could help alleviate some of these negative feelings. The reasons stated above are therefore why I believe the idea presented within the lecture that excessive use of technology affects mental health, and that we are addicted to social media as a result, to be so important and current within society. This lecture really made me aware of how being obsessed with current situations is negatively impacting my own mental health, and that it is important for measures be taken to restrict access to stop it from getting any worse.

References

Berryman, C., Ferguson, J. Christopher. and Negy, C. (2017). Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults. Science and Business Media. pp. 308-314. doi: 10.1007/s11126-017-9535-6.

Bosker, B. (2020). What Will Break People’s Addictions To Their Phones?. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: <https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/11/the-binge-breaker/501122/> [Accessed 18 March 2020].

Busby, M., 2020. Social Media Copies Gambling Methods 'To Create Psychological Cravings'. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/08/social-media-copies-gambling-methods-to-create-psychological-cravings> [Accessed 18 March 2020].

Shaer, F (2020). Social Media Icons. [Online]. [March 2020]. Available from:

https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/434808539026944969/?d=t&mt=login

Shakya, H. and Christakis, N., 2017. Association of Facebook Use With Compromised Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study. American Journal of Epidemiology,.185(3). pp. 203-211. doi: 10.1093/aje/kww189.

Syvertsen, T. and Enli, G., 2019. Digital detox: Media resistance and the promise of authenticity. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, pp. 1-15.

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Post 1 - Discussion of Lecture: Online Identities from Individual to Political Selfies

The key issue I have identified is the notion that selfies create insecurities about self-image, which can be due to them creating the fantasy of controlling your self-representation, therefore creating a culture in which people choose to post only their ‘best bits’ on social media. This is supported by Iqani andSchroeder (2016) who state that selfie takers often represent themselves at the pinnacle of their own attractiveness. This is done through self-selecting from many possible images, meaning that some people are unaware that these selfies being posted online are not actually a reality and have merely just been selected in order to portray the best version of the person who is posting them, which can be damaging to peoples self-image, therefore being the main reason why I think this is a concern that I feel is significant.

Figure 1Instagram Feed (Sowery, 2020)

Another major cause of insecurities about self-image is through people modifying and re-touching selfies using editing apps or using different filters. This leads people to be unsure of what is real and what is only the result of ‘beauty enhancing’ apps such as Facetune, allowing users to blur, add makeup and completely change the shape and appearance of their face. Figure 2 shows Tana Mongeau, an American influencer, musician and model who was accused by fans for ‘heavily editing’ an original photo which was later found on Getty images. The image on the right shows what the original image looked like, and the left image shows the edited version that Tana uploaded to Instagram. This edited image shows she has enhanced her lips and eyes, altered the colour of her skin tone, changed the shape of her face and added more makeup. This image alone reinforces my above point, and young, vulnerable people especially are looking at these selfies, aspiring to look like the people in them when in reality this person does not even exist. This is further supported by the idea that selfies “reflect the view of our-selves that we want to project out to the world” (Gve, 2007, 282), reinstating the idea that people are able to mediate the way they come across online to their followers, which in turn can be very damaging for people who are unable to tell the difference between an edited photo and an unedited one.

Figure 2 Tana Mongeau Facetune (Duribe, 2019)

Selfie culture creates the craving of affirmation through “likes” (Iquani and Schroeder, 2016) therefore leading people to feel negatively about themselves if the selfie they posted doesn’t get the same amount of likes as someone they are comparing themselves to. I had not put much consideration into this idea until the lecture, until realising that this idea can even be applied to myself. If a picture I post does not get the same amount of likes as it usually would, then sometimes I feel like the selfie was not good enough to have been uploaded (see figure 3). When in reality I am aware that it could be due to a whole range of factors, the Instagram algorithm being one of them. The fact that the notion that selfies create insecurities about self-image applies to myself made it even more of a significant concern for me. 

Figure 3 Personal Selfie (Sowery, 2020)

I therefore agree with the idea presented within the lecture that selfies create insecurities about self-image as before the lecture I was already aware of how Instagram and other social media use can correlate to poor mental health and body image issues. Thus, this lecture reinstated how selfies do create insecurities and poor body image, especially among younger people, therefore showing how they are able to be critiqued in this way.

References

Mehita Iqani & Jonathan E. Schroeder (2016) #selfie: digital self-portraits as commodity form and consumption practice, Consumption Markets & Culture, 19:5, 405-415, DOI: 10.1080/10253866.2015.1116784

Gye, Lisa. (2007). “Picture This: The Impact of Mobile Camera Phones on Personal Photographic Practices.” Continuum 21 (2): 279–288.

Duribe, J. (2019). Tana Mongeau Facetune. [Online]. [March 2020]. Available from: https://www.popbuzz.com/internet/youtubers/tana-mongeau-instagram-getty-images-facetune/