Guide for new business and research ideas

Action

Content

Title of the project

FASHI(ON)²LINE: WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Envisaged Program for funding / other sources for funding

HORIZONTE 2020

FCT/2C2T

ERASMUS +

Domain of interest

Fashion websites and social media

Abstract

(up to 500 words)

Fashion can be seen as non-verbal form of expression. Clothing may be considered as an expression as how people wish themselves to be seen by other individuals, as well as a way of belonging to a particular group or as a representation of a particular lifestyle. Fashion products manufacturing companies build the fashion value chain. In last decades, emergence of new technologies, development and exploration of virtual world and appearance of social networks, caused numerous changes, both in the lives of individuals and in the business sphere, opening up new possibilities and challenges, as well as globally altering individuals consumption behaviour.  A new information economy presents a new set of opportunities and threats to established companies, basically, demanding almost all companies to rethink their strategy. However, new information technologies are not a replacement of traditional marketing tools, but complementary tools, that have an advantage of easy communication worldwide, whereas marketing primary objective continues to focus in satisfying individuals and organization’s needs. The fashion industry needs to be ready to these new challenges.

The main objectives of the project are:

-          to understand the impact of the digital presence in social media/networks and websites in the competitive performance of the European fashion companies (apparel, textile and footwear);

-          to investigate whether the digital presence of brands can be regarded as a competitive advantage;

-          to increase the skills of the young professionals (fashion students) in these particular fields;

-          to establish a common framework and matrix to evaluate the fashion websites and the presence in social media.

To achieve these objectives, it is proposed two methodological approaches: develop a longitudinal research of the fashion brands to observe brand’s websites and social network account pages, takin data with the pre-established criteria in periods of every week during a year and measuring the differences or changes in each criteria.

The second approach is to collect certain primary data using a group of people – focus group. Can be young students or young fashion professionals. The purpose of the focus group is to be in contact and “undress” the fashion websites and social media platforms, to evaluate a performance of websites of the brands with predefined variables and to understand what are the most important aspects and which less relevant.

In the end of the project, are expected to increase the skills and knowledges of fashion professionals in these new tools (trainees, junior professionals and students), to obtain a common framework to evaluate the performance of European fashion brands in these new topics (websites and social media) and to develop in the universities methodologies and processes to be/work in the next “4^th Industrial Revolution”.

Keywords (up to 5)

Fashion Brands; Websites; Social Media; Young Fashion Students

Envisaged partners sought

Universities with Fashion Students

Sectorial Organizations: Textile, Clothing and Footwear (Fashion Industry)

Fashion Companies

Contact data

(Name/Surname, Organization, email)

António Dinis Marques, University of Minho, adinis@det.uminho.pt