Over the past decade, body image literature has begun to focus on body image disorders and examine the construct of positive body image. Similarly, "body positivity" is a growing trend in social media that aims to challenge prevailing societal ideals of beauty and promote acceptance and appreciation of all bodies and appearances. This movement advocates for the portrayal of people in advertising with diverse body shapes, sizes, and appearances, so that the content positively influences their brand attitudes and consumer behavior. Therefore, the target audience is now making demands on companies about the types of body representations they use on social media. This research combines these issues and examines the portrayal of models in view of the body-positive movement in the external marketing communication of the ARMEDANGELS label, more specifically on the brand’s social media. Analysing individual Instagram postings, through this case study, it is shown how the topic is generally portrayed on the company's channel. In addition, an interview with an ARMEDANGELS employee sheds light on the company's perspective on body positivity. Finally, the perspectives of the target group, which corresponds to the German Generation Y, are determined through an online survey. When comparing the results, it becomes clear that body-positive content positively influences the brand attitude and consumer behavior of ARMEDANGELS' target group. ARMEDANGELS representative also recognizes the potential of the content and the relevance of the topic, but the company still needs to manage to implement it on its Instagram account. Based on the results, recommendations are derived for ARMEDANGELS and other fashion industry companies. Accordingly, the results offer theoretical and practical implications for future research.
Date of Award | 19 Jan 2024 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | Mariana Victorino (Supervisor) |
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- Body positivity
- Communication
- Social media
- Consumer behavior
- Brand attitude
- Generation Y
- Mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação
The influence of body-positive Instagram content on consumer behavior and brand attitude case study: Armedangels’ content communication strategy
Braunsfeld, V. H. (Student). 19 Jan 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis