Sfm dissertation main kvoytovich by Kristina Voytovich

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

Kristina Voytovich Student ID: VOY12375124 Master’s Project Course leader: Dr. Lynne Hammond Dissertation supervisor: Ana Roncha Course: MA Strategic Fashion Marketing London College of Fashion University of the Arts London Date: 29/11/2013

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

ABSTRACT The changes in consumer behaviour and the development of technology have underpinned the viability and relevance of this study. Despite the understanding of the importance of video as a communication tool, fashion has not yet fully exploited the potential of this medium. There is paucity in available academic literature on the role of online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement with a customer, and this study addresses this gap. The aim of this project is to investigate to what extent brand-created online video serves a contributing factor in building consumer-brand engagement, based on the analysis of two case studies, Burberry and Topshop. The dissertation tests the four hypotheses, based on the key concepts of consumer-brand engagement: brand personality, brand engagement, relationship quality and co-creation. For the purpose of this research, interviews, online observations and surveys are selected as the most suitable primary research instruments. The findings of primary and secondary research confirm the developed hypotheses and offer suggestions for future research, taking into consideration the limitations of the current study. First of all, the results lead to the conclusion that fashion brands seek to translate their core values through brand-created videos to strengthen emotional bonds between a brand and a consumer. Using video content, both Burberry and Topshop aim to build a strong bond with their consumers through emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects of consumer-brand engagement. However, the case studies are not always able to build a strong bond due to such factors as the abundance of monthly video content, the lack of high quality content videos and the viral nature of medium. The current study does not fully clarify the influence of video on relationship quality. On the one hand, the use of a strong narrative based-video video, which is often remembered for many years, might result in an increase in the level of trust. On the other hand, a commercial video might create a short-term buzz around a brand, stimulating only a short-term increase in the level of satisfaction. Finally, these factors, as well as the empowerment of consumers, make the process of video co-creation one of the potential competitive advantages for fashion brands, leading to a new step up on the ‘ladder of engagement’.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract…………………………………………………………………….…………….........….ii Table of contents………………………………………………………..……......….................iii Table of figures………………………………………………………...…..…….......................v Table of appendices……………………………………………………...…….….…..............vi Acknowledgment..............................................................................................................vii Statement of originality…………………………………………………………………..…....viii 1.

Introduction………………………………………………………………………….........1 1.1 Development of the digital IMC strategy in the consumer-based economy…..1 1.2 Rising role of online videos in the IMC strategy…………….…………..….…...2 1.3 Relevance and viability……………………………………………..….….............4 1.4 Methodological overview...................................................................................4 1.5 .Aims and objectives……….…………………………….……..............................4 1.6 Structure outline..……… ……………………………….….….…..........................5

2. Literature review………..……………...…………………...…….……………...…..........6 2.1 Emotional bonds between a brand and a customer……………………..............6 2.1.1 Concept of brand-consumer relationships in relationship marketing......6 2.1.2 Typology of brand-customer relationships……….....…...............…........9 2.2 Building customer-brand relationship through brand experience and brand engagement...…..................................................................………………….…......11 2. 2.1 Role of brand personality and brand experience in building consumerbrand engagement…………………………........…......…..………....……........11 2.2.2 Interactivity between a customer and a brand......................................16 2.3 Consumer-brand engagements through the Web 2.0.....................................19 2.3.1 Empowerment of consumers in the era of social media.......................19 2.3.2 Increasing role of online videos in the IMC strategy.............................21 2.4 Summary of literature review...………………...……………………..…………..21 3.

Methodology…………………….…………………………………………......…….......23 3.1 Research Philosophy and Approach.……………………………….....………...23 3.2 Research Strategy………………………………………………….…….……......24 3.3 Data collection…………………………………………………………….……......25 3.3.1 Secondary Research: Literature Review……………………….….…....25 3.3.3 Primary research: Inferential Survey………………………...….……....26 3.3.3 Primary research: Semi-structured interviews......................................28 3.3.4 Primary research: Observations...........................................................29 3.4 Data Analysis..................................................................................................30 iii

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

3.5 Ethics……… …………………………..……………….…………..……............31 3.6 Limitations.......................................................................................................32 4.

Case studies..........….................................................................................………...33 4.1 Burberry and Topshop: Overview of the brands current role of video in the IMC

strategy………………………………………………………………………………………......33 4.2 Findings and presentation of primary data………...………………………….....36 4.2.1 Observation findings…………………….…………………………….…...36 4.2.2 Survey findings……………………….…………………………….…….…40 4.2.3 Interview findings………………….………………………………………..46 5. Discussion and Conclusion…………………...………………………………………....50 5.1 Discussion…………………………………………………………………….........50 5.2 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..54 5.3 Managerial applications…………………………………....……………………...55 5.4 Limitations ………………………………………………………………………….56 5.5 Suggestions for future research………………………………………..…..….....56 6. References…………………………………………………………….……………….......57 7. Appendices………………………………………………………………………..….........71

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Instagram Videos vs. Vine interaction rates……..……….…..…..…….......….....3 Figure 2: The factors of brand attachment…………………..……….…..….....…..…..….....7 Figure 3: Antecedents of emotional attachments to brands.….….….…..…..…...…….......9 Figure 4: Types of brand-consumer relationships………….……...……..…........…….…..10 Figure 5: The ‘soul brand’ model….………………………….……...……..…........….….....12 Figure 6: Five types of brand personality…………………….………......……........……….13 Figure 7: Types of brand personality………………………….………..…………....……….13 Figure 8: Four realms that drive emotional experiences…….………..…...…….....……...15 Figure 9: Co-production experience model.………………….………..….…..……..….......15 Figure 10: Conceptual model of consumer-brand engagement…….....……....…............16 Figure 11: Consumer engagement process…………………………....………..….............17 Figure 12: Research diagram…………………………………………….………..................25 Figure 13: Overview of main secondary sources……………………….……………..........26 Figure 14: Research questionnaire………………………………...….……………...….......28 Figure 15: Survey questions………………………………………….………………...…......28 Figure 16: Interview questions………………………………………...……………...............29 Figure 17: Checklist for observations…………………………………………………...........30 Figure 18: Average consumer activity in regard to Burberry and Topshop video content……………………………………………………………………...…….………....…...37 Figure 19: Comparative analysis of channels and content of Burberry and Topshop videos…………………………………………………………………...…..…….………....…..40 Figure 20: Consumer attitude towards Burberry and Topshop video content……………….........................................................................................................41 Figure 21: Channels where people prefer watching Burberry and Topshop videos.………………………………………………………………………….…..……..….......41 Figure 22: Reflection of brand personality shown in Burberry and Topshop videos..………....................................................................................................................42 Figure 23: Emotions and feelings expressed by the respondents towards Burberry and Topshop after watching their videos……...………………...............................................…43 Figure 24: Possible actions of the respondents after watching Burberry and Topshop videos.................................................................................................................................44 Figure 25: Evaluation of general attitude towards Burberry and Topshop after watching their videos………………………………….……………………………………………….…....45 Figure 26: General attitude of the respondents towards co-creation as part of communication with Burberry and Topshop……………….………………...........................46 v

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

TABLE OF APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaires developed on a Google platform for Burberry and Topshop…………………………………………………………………………...………..…..71 Appendix 2: Transcription and primary analysis of the conducted interviews…………………………………………………………………………………........80 Appendix 3: Burberry and Topshop observations……………………….......……….….102 Appendix 4: Total number of videos created by Burberry and Topshop during the observation period……………………………………………………………………............144 Appendix 5: Consumer activity on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest…………………………………………………………………………….................145 Appendix 6: Total number of followers on Topshop social media…………………...….150 Appendix 7: Total number of followers on Burberry social media…………….…….......151 Appendix 8: Survey results……………………………………………………………….....151 Appendix 9: Summary of interview quotes related to the four hypotheses…..…...…...163

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

AKNOWLEDGEMENT I am deeply thankful to all the individuals that in different ways have contributed to this dissertation with their guidance and support. This thesis would not have been possible without you. First and foremost, I owe my gratitude to my supervisor Ana Roncha, for her guidance, constructive criticism and support throughout the whole writing process. I also owe great acknowledgement to my course director Dr. Lynne Hammond for her invaluable advice. She was always there for me and the rest of my coursemates during our postgraduate studies at London College of Fashion. In addition, I am especially grateful for the help of my friends, Alexandra Plesner, Terence Teh and Mélanie Crété, who were kind to share some of their contacts with me. I definitely owe you one for my great interviews with the industry professionals! I would also like to say thank you to all the people taking part in the primary research of the study. You gave me valuable information that significantly enriched my research. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for being there for me and stimulating me throughout the writing process.

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An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

“I declare that no portion of material in this dissertation has previously been submitted for a degree or other academic qualification of this or any other educational institution, and that to the best of my knowledge contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due acknowledgement is made”

Signature:..........................................................

Name

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An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

1. Introduction 1.1 Development of the digital IMC strategy in the consumer-based economy Modern researchers argue that the existence of highly competitive environments in the retail sector confirms the importance of strong brand identity, which helps effectively differentiate brands and clarify their market positioning and corporate values (Aaker, 1996; De Chernatony, 2010; Kapferer, 2008). De Chernatony (2010, p.53) defines brand identity as the “distinctive or central idea of a brand and how the brand communicates this idea to its shareholders.” Building brand identity aims to establish the dialogue between brands and their target audience (Alvarez Del Blanco, 2010). However, the diversity of brand identity definitions and frameworks cause difficulties in formulating an overall understanding of this term (Holt, 2002). Proactive consumer involvement in the value-creation process offers another insight into the conceptualisation of brand identity (Da Silveira et al., 2013). Postmodern, or consumption society sees a brand increasingly through personal experience and beliefs (Svendsen, 2006; Randall, 2000; Solomon and Rabolt, 2004), and expects a brand to “fulfill their desires” through shopping (Gobé, 2009, p. xxiii). Customers want products and services to deliver a desirable experience that they “can relate to and that they can incorporate into their lifestyles” (Schmitt, 1999, p.22). In the end, these experiences tend to place individual customer actions in a broader social scale and provide sensory, emotional, cognitive, behavioral and relational values instead of basic functional values (Schmitt, 1999). According to Avery (2012, p.148), brands represent ‘cultural artifacts’, which play an important role in documenting culture and preserving cultural ideologies, beliefs and values. Consumers build relationships with brands to extract these meanings and incorporate them into their lifestyles (Fournier, 1998). Through cultural value shifts and constant evolution of digital technology, such attributes as knowledge, symbols, values and visual surprises become key feature of contemporary culture where people are provided with opportunities to continuously construct an identity seven days a week (Hultén et al., 2009). Along with the increased fragmentation of the markets and the development of new technology, these shifts predetermined an appearance of an ‘integrated marketing communications’ approach, characterised by allowing a marketing practitioner to develop content that can reach multiple audiences through a variety of media platforms (Duncan and Caywood, 1997; Hackley and Kitchen, 1998). Moreover, in response to the new demands of the environment, the concept of relationship marketing emerged and showed

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

the importance of long-term relationships with customers as a key element for competitive advantages of a company (Shani and Chalasani, 1992; Webster, 1992). The invention of the Internet shifted the focus in marketing communications from traditional above-the-line media of TV, press, billboards, radio and cinema, towards digital and interactive media (West et al., 2010). In contrast with traditional media, digital media offer greater dialogue between a company and a person, individualised marketing, high management control and low absolute costs (Fill, 2011). Online consumers actively participate in discussions and even influence purchasing decisions (Blackshaw and Nazzaro, 2006). 1.2 Rising role of online videos in the IMC strategy The recent recession has made fashion brands and retailers decline print advertising spending while the Web has offered them a cost-effective way to engage consumers directly (Spanier, 2013). World Advertising Research Center predicted the decrease in print advertising spending by another 4% in 2013 (Kansara, 2013a). A media landscape has been radically changing for the last few years due to the dynamics of the Internet, promoting new approaches to content, platform and monetisation (Kansara, 2013c). Most fashion brands have noticed the rapid spread of broadband Internet and the popularity of video sharing sites like YouTube, which accounted for 56% of all consumer Web traffic in 2012 (Kansara, 2013a). According to Cisco, by 2017, online video will account for nearly 70% of Web traffic, with users viewing the equivalent of five million years of video every month (Kansara, 2013c). Fashion brands have already started considering video as a tool for the brand’s selfexpression and promotion. They use digital runway shows, promotional videos, fashion blogs or interviews as a part of their marketing communications strategy. Moreover, sharing video on social media, fashion brands boost consumer participation and increase their customer base (Sarabia, 2013). E-commerce websites like ASOS and Net-a-Porter use short videos to view products in motion before purchasing. In addition, the digitally advanced fashion brands such as Topshop and Burberry have come up with the concept of real-time purchasing straight off the runway (Arthur, 2013). Morever, Burberry and Topshop along with Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors were among the first fashion brands which started using video applications, Vine from Twitter (40 million users) and Instagram from Facebook (150 million users) (Fiegerman, 2013b; Davoult, 2013). Vine, which creates six-second looping videos, was released in January 2013. In contrast, Video on Instagram, which was released in June 2013, captures up to 15 seconds of video with the 2

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

ability of adding various photographic filters (McCall, 2013). Users also have the option to upload videos on Instagram (Fiegerman, 2013a). The Vine and Instagram applications have already started gaining popularity within various creative industries. For instance, in March 2013, The Wolverine became the first Vine movie trailer and, in July 2013, Jobs became the first Instagram movie trailer (D’Orazio, 2013; The Huffington Post UK, 2013). In July 2013, Scottish musician Aidan Moffat, aka L. Pierre, was the first to release the Vine-only album, The Eternalist, which consists of eight short looping clips (Cetin, 2013). A number of marketing specialists have already called Instagram video a more artistic, creative and inspirational tool in comparison with Vine. In their opinion, it might become “a more compelling way to tell a story” and replace Vine as a video communication tool (Shea, 2013). The average size of Instagram community is 140, 329 followers per brand in comparison with 4,296 Vine followers per brand (Cox, 2013). Plus, only 35.2% of brands use Vine against 69.2% of brands presented on Instagram (Social Platforms, 2013). However, marketing experts do not hurry to draw the conclusions about both video platforms, especially taking into consideration the results of the recent L2 Think Tank research, which show that the interaction rates of Vine with ‘Likes’ still being the dominant form of engagement are higher than the interaction rates of Instagram (Figure 1). In addition, brand Vine videos are more than four times more likely to be shared than other brand videos (Social Platforms 2013, 2013).

Figure 1: Instagram Videos vs. Vine interaction rates. Source: Khoo, 2013.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

1.3 Relevance and viability All these important factors in the external environment and the fact that some fashion industry insiders already see video as “the future of the Internet” (Sarabia, 2013), have underpinned the viability and relevance of this study. However, despite the understanding of the importance of this medium for communicating fashion, the industry is far from the fulfilment of online video potential: neglected distribution strategy, poor content, etc (Mai, 2012). Overall, while there is a gap in available academic literature on the role of online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement with a customer, their increasing popularity among consumers might be observed, and thus this study will address the gap. 1.4 Methodological overview For the purpose of this research, interviews, online observations and surveys are selected as the most suitable primary research tools to help explore the potential of brand-created online videos in the marketing communications strategy. The use of a variety of methods, sources and types of data gives an advantage to create an all-embracing vision of the research subject and get more reliable findings (Leech et al., 2010; Denscombe, 2010). The mixed-method approach that combines qualitative and quantitative research methods is adopted to justify the mix of exploratory and descriptive case study analysis (Hussey and Hussey, 1997; Denscombe, 2010). The British fashion brands Burberry and Topshop are chosen as the research case studies because they both are among the technologically advanced fashion brands, which actively implement brand-created videos in their integrated marketing communications strategy (Holland, 2013; Miller, 2013). Despite having their own unique marketing strategies, Burberry and Topshop represent the examples of a broader class of things – fashion brands. Therefore, the results of the investigation might be generalised and applied with certain reservations to other fashion brands and be useful for other researchers. 1.5 Aims and objectives The aim of this project is to investigate to what extent brand-created online video serves a contributing factor in building consumer-brand engagement, based on the analysis of two case studies, Burberry and Topshop. The study will be undertaken in order to achieve the following objectives:

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

1. To investigate the importance of building emotional bonds between consumers and brands through analysing the concepts of brand relationship, brand engagement, brand personality and brand attachment. 2. To explore the influence of online videos in building brand engagement with a consumer. 3. To understand modern consumers’ behaviour in the Web 2.0 environment and their interaction with brand-created online videos based on the analysis of two case studies, Burberry and Topshop. 4. To assess how brand-created online videos promote brand engagement by testing the developed hypotheses based on the analysis of two case studies, Burberry and Topshop.

1.6 Structure outline The first section of the dissertation reviews key frameworks and models and defines the concepts of brand-consumer relationship, brand identity, brand experience, brand attachment and brand engagement. It also investigates the empowerment of consumers in the era of the Web 2.0 and social media, and studies the current position of brand-created videos in the IMC strategy. The second section explains and justifies the choice of methodological approach, strategy, methods and instruments. Moreover, this section explains how the data is collected and analysed; what ethical issues are considered and what methodological limitations of the chosen approach are. The third section introduces two case studies, Topshop and Burberry, and analyses the current role of brand-created videos in the IMC strategy of these brands. It also presents the key findings of the primary research. The final section opens a discussion for a final conclusion, managerial applications, limitations and future research suggestions.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

2. Literature review 2.1 Emotional bonds between a brand and a customer 2.1.1. The concept of brand-consumer relationships in relationship marketing Nowadays consumer-brand relationships look like communal relationships where customers are less self-interested and demonstrate concern for a brand and for a continuation of the relationship rather than simple economic exchanges (Avery, 2012). People tend to build consumer-brand relationships similar to interpersonal relationships (Fournier, 1998; Hwang and Kandampully, 2012). Consistent consumer-brand relationships have a tendency to form some brand associations with focal brands and benefit to all the participants (Aaker, 1991; 1996). Therefore, the researchers including Schmitt (1997), Holbrook (1999) and Lindstrom (2010) suggest focusing on emotional, aesthetic and sensorial needs rather than functional needs to create memorable customer experiences (Lindgreen et al., 2009). According to Sashi (2012, p.260), more and more engaged customers seek to build emotional bonds in ‘relational exchanges’ with brands and get involved in value creation and co-creation (Da Silveira, 2013). Vargo (2009) argues that there is a shift from the traditional view of marketing relationships (“goods-dominant”) towards a customercentered approach (“service-dominant”), which is taking place in complex, co-creative environments of the twenty first century. This shows a tendency towards a participatory culture in which people aim to “contribute to their world’s and organizations’ search for consumer sight” (Ind et al., 2013, p.6). Academic studies confirm that consumers feel more intimate, positive and creative to brands after starting being more involved in brands’ communities (Ind et al., 2013). Engaged customers are more eager to become brand ambassadors and to boost their word of mouth (Chaffey and Smith, 2013). Brands are also interested in achieving a high level of customer engagement, as it is usually resulted in “an intimate long-term relationship with the customer” (Sashi, 2012, p.254). Moreover, consumer-brand relationships tend to manage social relationships with other consumers and to create social identities to signify their personalities, statuses, lifestyles, etc (Avery, 2012). Using their relationships with a brand, consumers aim to show to the rest of the world who they are. As it was mentioned earlier, people often extract the meanings set within brands and use them in their own lives (Fournier, 1998). Consumers buy products not for what they do but for what they mean to them, as the symbolic value of brands often overweighs their functional value (Avery, 2012). Furthermore, brands might play various roles including the documentation of culture and the encapsulation of cultural beliefs. In addition, through the use of brands as ‘social glue’, customers build 6

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

relationships and form communities with others who share their preferences (Avery, 2012, p.149). The strength of bonding between a brand and a consumer could be measured through the concepts of brand attachment, quality and depth. The concept of brand attachment is critical because it “affects behaviours that foster brand profitability and customer lifetime value” (Park et al., 2010, p.1; Fournier, 1998; Thomson et al., 2005). It also describes the potency of the bond connecting the consumer and the brand (Thomson, 2006). Consumers can develop attachment to market entities, including products, brands and celebrities (Fournier, 1998; Thomson, 2006). Figure 2 shows the particular properties, which define brand attachment, brand-self connection and brand prominence (Park et al., 2010). The former sees a brand as part of the self, and consumer “develops a sense of oneness with brand, establishing cognitive links that connect the brand with the self” (Park et al., 2010, p.2). The latter suggests that over time brand-related thoughts and feelings become part of individual memory.

Figure 2: The factors of brand attachment. Source: Park et al., 2010.

Grisaffe and Nguyen (2011) name five primary antecedents of emotional attachment to brands such as superior marketing characteristics, traditional customer outcome, userderived benefits, socialization and intergenerational influence, sentimental/emotional memories (Figure 3). These first two categories of antecedents are often considered as the basis of emotional attachment. Grisaffe and Nguyen (2011) link together both superior marketing characteristics and traditional customer outcomes, as brands possessing these characteristics intend to produce traditional customer outcomes such as customer satisfaction, perceived value and competitive differentiation (Kotler and Keller, 2006). The

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

examples of superior marketing characteristics include excellent pricing, strong corporate image and effective advertising (Grisaffe and Nguyen, 2011). Marketing characteristics are also capable to produce specific user-derived benefits, which drive strong emotional attachments. For instance, they might help consumers to reach self- or social-oriented goals during the psychological tasks of identity development and the process of enhancement of social roles (Fournier, 1998, Holbrook, 2006). ‘Socialization and intergenerational influence’ produces emotional brand attachment, driven by “skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant to functioning as consumers in the market place” (Ward, 1974, p.2) and by trusted family contexts transferred into adulthood (Fournier, 1998; Olsen, 1993). Grisaffe and Nguyen (2011) note that if family-related bonds are very strong, substitutes become unacceptable for consumers. The ‘sentimental/emotional memories’ category of antecedents is able to bring back nostalgic experiences, eras, people, places or memories, which usually evoke the image of an idealized past. The study of Grisaffe and Nguyen (2011) also shows that consumers are usually influenced by the mix of antecedents, not just by one of them. This especially takes place in the case of marketer-controllable combinations - marketing characteristics, customer outcome states and user benefits. However, stronger bonds are more likely to form in the combination of controllable loyalty drivers and personal factors (Oliver, 1999). Brand relationships with the high level of such factors as intimacy, commitment and love will show high degrees of loyalty, tolerance and forgiveness. Nevertheless, there is little published evidence of the relationships involving love and passion, and of the benefits occurring (Elliot and Percy, 2007). It is partially caused by the fact that a wide variety of human emotions make it difficult to develop a universal scale, as emotions are usually context-related (Rinchins, 1997).

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

Figure 3: Antecedents of emotional attachments to brands. Source: Grisaffe and Nguyen, 2011.

2.1.2 Typology of brand-customer relationships Consumer researcher Fournier (1998) proposes a six-faceted Brand Relationship Quality scale that measures the strength of relationships between consumers and brands through the following elements: ‘love and passion’ and ‘self-connection’, ‘interdependence’ and ‘commitment’, ‘intimacy’ and ‘brand partner quality’. The concept of ‘love and passion’ shows the level of consumers’ strong emotional attachment to a brand and their anxiety when a brand is run out. Feelings of love might range from warmth and affection (Perlman and Fehr, 1987) to passion (Stemberg, 1986) and obsessive dependency (Lane and Wegner, 1995). ‘Self-connection’ demonstrates a strong connection between a brand and consumers’ personality, ranging from nostalgic past to current, and possible and desired future selves (Fournier, 1998; Kleine et al., 1995). ‘Interdependence’ shows to what extent a brand has become part of important rituals in the consumer life. The behavioural concept of ‘commitment’ demonstrates the intentions of a supportive manner of relationships between a brand and a consumer (Avery, 2012). ‘Intimacy’ is usually born from a brand relationship memory of personal associations and experiences. It constructs a central narrative around a brand over time and fosters a relationship culture (Escalas, 1996; Wood, 1982). ‘Brand partner quality’ helps evaluate the brand’s performance in its partnership role through such components as a positive orientation of a brand toward a consumer; judgements of a brand dependability and predictability in executing its partnership role, etc.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

However, not all customers will share the love for the same brand, and therefore the relationships between customers and a brand take various forms. Fournier (1998) suggests 15 different types of relationships: from ‘arranged marriages’ to ‘enslavements’ (Figure 4). De Chernatony (2010) offers another four types of relationships trustworthy/confidence, co-operative/open, friendly/altruistic, informal/socially-oriented – which are reinforced by such values as innovative, team-working, caring and fun respectively.

Figure 4: Types of brand-consumer relationships. Source: Fournier, 1998.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

Once a brand has identified the type of relationship to build with a consumer and what a consumer wants from a relationship, a brand is more likely to develop a successful consumer relationship strategy. Customers who have already some experience with a brand expect consistency in the brand’s values and in the type of relationship. Overall, there is a difference between human and consumer-brand bonds, which have their own rules and logics (Avery, 2012).

2.2 Building customer-brand relationships through brand experience and brand engagement 2.2.1 Role of brand personality and brand experience in building consumer-brand engagement Brand relationship is considered as a logical extension of brand personality, which itself adds depth to the relationship (Blackston, 2000; Aaker, 1996). The personification of brands allows customers build stronger relationships with them, better understand their self and communicate aspects of their self to others (De Chernatony, 2010; Fournier, 1994). Furthermore, it helps to clarify brand’s values and vision, and to create an emotional bond with the audience (Gobé, 2007). Majority of the research papers on brand personality are based on Aaker’s (1997) definition and measurement scale. Aaker (1997, p.347) defines the concept of brand personality as “the set of human characteristics associated with a brand.” Consumers might see brands as celebrities or historical figures (Rook, 1985) or they might relate to one’s own self (Fournier, 1994). However, Azoulay and Kapferer (2003) came up with a stricter definition of brand personality in order to avoid the confusion and to achieve more exact measurement of the concept. The researchers see brand personality as “the unique set of human personality traits both applicable and relevant to brands” (Azoulay and Kapferer, 2003, p.151). Therefore, it is important to understand, which scale dimensions of brand personality are included in the concept. According to Fournier (1998), the more similarities exist between a consumer and a brand, the greater emotional bonds between them. Moreover, such emotional bonds stimulate positive emotions about a brand including credibility, attitude and image (Eagly and Chaiken, 1993). Therefore, according to the brand soul concept, modern brands aim to take into consideration both the firm’s and the individual’s perspectives in regard of brand building (Hultén et al., 2009, Figure 5). Such brands, with “heart and mind” (Hultén et al., 2009, pp.165-166), are one of the inseparable features of postmodern society, 11

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

where it is more common for individuals to relate themselves to brands in the same way they do to other humans (Gobé, 2007; Varey, 2002).

Figure 5: The ‘soul brand’ model. Source: Hultén et al., 2009.

However, despite the conceptual similarities human and brand personalities are formed in different ways. Perceptions of human personality are based on an individual’s behavior, physical and demographic characteristics, attitudes and beliefs (Park, 1986). In contrast, brand personality traits are influenced by direct or indirect contact that a consumer has with a brand (Plummer, 1985). Different scholars explore the dimensions and scales of brand personality and its generalisability (De Chernatony, 2010). For instance, Aaker (1997) suggests her own five personality dimensions – ‘sincerity’, ‘excitement’, ‘competence’, ‘sophistication’ and ‘ruggedness’ – and include fifteen facets (Figure 6). They are based on the ‘Big Five’ human personality structure (Norman, 1963). Each dimension determines a different kind of relationship with consumers (Avery, 2012). According to Aaker (1997), brand personality develops through brand name, symbol, advertising stylistics, price and distribution channel.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

Figure 6: Five types of brand personality. Source: Aaker, 1997.

Geuens et al. (2009) develop and test a new brand personality measure, taking into consideration limitations of Aaker’s personality such as loose definition of brand personality, lack of generalisability and possible misinterpretation of personality traits (De Chernatony, 2010). The scholars include new five dimensions: ‘responsibility’, ‘activity’, ‘aggressiveness’, ‘simplicity’ and ‘emotionality’ (Figure 7). The results of the research, which covered functional, image, experiential and emotional motivations, showed its applicability across multiple brands (Geuens et al., 2009). However, it is important to understand that brands, like people, might not be described by one emotion, as they express a variety of emotions, sometimes in contradictory ways (Gobé, 2007).

Figure 7: Types of brand personality. Source: Geuens et al., 2009.

Gobé (2007, p.73) connects brand personality with emotions and names five universal ‘emotional drivers’, which reflect brand personalities and humanize a brand: citizenship (‘love of the worlds’, drive for hope and engagement), freedom (‘love of thrill’, drive to escape), status (‘love of class’, drive to achieve glamour), harmony (‘love of tribe’, drive for conviviality) and trust (‘love of ethics’, drive to be secure). He argues that brands need to have a clear emotional personality to have strong, unconscious connection with the audience and to inform brand values and vision. As such, these drivers inspire “unique visual images and brand aesthetics”, which are translated into coherent brand personality (Gobé, 2007, p.76). 13

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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These unique brand-related elements constitute the main source of subjective, internal consumer responses (rational activities, emotional responses and behavioral intentions), which could be referred as ‘brand experiences’ (Brakus et al., 2009, p.53). Behavioral effects are usually the ones that are triggered by cognitive and affective effects. Based on these responses, Brakus et al. (2009) construct a brand experience scale that consists of four dimensions: sensory, affective, intellectual and behavioral. Experiences happen when consumers look for products, when they shop for products or receive services, and when they consume products or services (Arnould et al., 2002). Schmitt (1999) divides brand experience into two main categories, individual and shared, where individual experience influences shared experience. Sense (consumer senses), feel (inner feelings and emotions) and think (consumer creativity) are considered as individual experiences. Act (bodily experience, lifestyle and interactions of consumers) and relate (appealing to other cultures and people) are seen as shared experiences. In addition, Schmitt (1999) argues that brand experiences differ in strength and intensity from each other. According to Oliver (1997), long-lasting experiences will affect the most consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Fournier et al. (1998) see loyalty as a core component of consumer-brand relationships. However, it is important to be aware of possible discrepancies between predicted results of loyal behavior and consumer-brand relationships, as loyal behavior might be triggered by such factors as ongoing satisfaction, risk reduction and other benefits (Hess and Story, 2005). Pine II and Gilmore (2011) offer four types of consumer experience, which serve as a new form of business offering in the current stage of the evolution of products: educational, esthetic, entertainment and escapist (Figure 8). The 4Es show different stages of activepassive involvement and absorption-immersion with a customer, and might be used by companies to satisfy needs of different customers. ‘Entertainment’ involves mainly passive activities, such as attending a concert. Therefore, the role of the instructor’s personality and performance is crucial here. ‘Educational’ involves learning something new, such as attending lectures. The instructor’s teaching and other students’ coaching abilities influence this aspect. ‘Esthetics’ represents the sensual nuances within the experience such as the artworks on the wall in the airport. Finally, ‘Escapist’ makes customers the main actors of the events who are ready to embrace new roles and get to higher level of involvement. Pine and Gilmore suggest that superior customer experiences should have a balanced mixture of all the experiences (Lindgreen et al., 2009). Brands should take into consideration not just the depth and quality of experience but also the depth of the relationship and the place where it happens. 14

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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Figure 8: Four realms that drive emotional experiences. Source: Pine and Gilmore, 2011.

In order to add Pine and Gilmore’s model strength in guiding rational customer experience design, Lindgreen et al. (2009, p.125) create co-production experience model. It “provides a context for understanding and enhancing customer performance”. This model was evolved from Vargo and Lusch’s (2008) ideas regarding the service-dominant logic of marketing where everything offered to customers is seen as a service. Consumers themselves can provide the service and become co-creators of value if they enable to perform. Lindgreen et al. (2009, p.125) believe that companies need to design customer experience through the principles of ‘vision’, ‘access’, ‘incentive’ and ‘expertise’ in order to provide favourable customer performance (Figure 9). ‘Vision’ describes “the goals, expectations and feedback integrated into an experience” (Lindgreen et al., 2009, p.125). ‘Access’ represents the environment of the experience and the tools provided to customers like a self-checkout. ‘Incentive’ is the motivator to act in a certain way. ‘Expertise’ is the knowledge and skills customers acquire through specific customer education programs like a guide or a manual.

Figure 9: Co-production experience model. Source: Lindgreen et al., 2009.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

2.2.2 Interactivity between a customer and a brand The analysis of consumer-brand relationships and brand personality is closely tied to the concept of consumer-brand engagement, which is generally considered by marketers as a priority in branding strategies (Hollebeek, 2011a; Gambetti et al., 2012). However, being a recent concept, consumer-brand engagement still does not have a clear definition (Hollebeek, 2011b). Majority of academics see ‘customer-brand engagement’ as a multidimensional concept, which is derived from one or multiple brand experience dimensions such as sensory, affective, intellectual and behavioral. Patterson et al. (2006) argue that consumer-brand engagement shows the level of a customer physical, cognitive and emotional presence in their relationship, which consists of several dimensions: vigor, dedication, absorption and interaction. Hollebeek (2011b, p.790) defines “consumer-brand engagement” as “the level of a customer's motivational, brand-related and context-dependent state of mind characterized by specific levels of cognitive, emotional and behavioural activity in brand interactions.” The author developed a conceptual model where a researcher connects customer-brand engagement to involvement, relationship quality and customer loyalty. The dimensions of relationship quality (trust, commitment, customer satisfaction) represent a high-order construct and positively influence customer-brand engagement (Figure 11). Another Hollebeek’s study (2011a, p.565) involves such concepts as ‘immersion’, ‘passion’ and ‘activation’, which represent “the degree to which a customer is prepared to exert relevant cognitive, emotional and behavioral resources in specific interactions with a focal brand.”

Figure 10: Conceptual model of consumer-brand engagement. Source: Hollebeek, 2011b.

Vivek et al. (2012, p.127) also consider consumer-brand engagement as a multidimensional concept, which is composed of cognitive, emotional and behavioral but add social elements. It represents the intensity of a customer’s participation and connection with a firm’s offerings and its activities. The potential results of customer-brand

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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engagement triggered by participation and involvement are value, trust, affective commitment, word of mouth, loyalty and brand community involvement. Van Doorn et al., (2010, p.253) defines this concept in a different way, as the “customer’s behavioral manifestation toward a brand, beyond purchase, resulting from motivational drivers”. A consumer might choose from five dimensions the ways to engage: valence, form and modality, scope, nature of its impact, and customer goals. Interactivity between a customer and a brand is at the core of the brand-customer engagement concept, which enables a customer to become a co-creator of value (Van Doorn, 2011). Economist Intelligence Unit (2007a) considers brand engagement as an important connection between a brand and a customer, which adds depth and meaning to the relationships. However, the findings of Brodie, Hollebeek, Juric and Ilic’s research (2011, p.109) show that the consumer engagement process does not follow a particular order. Consumerbrand engagement is rather an “iteration of relevant sub-processes”, including ‘learning’, ‘sharing’, ‘advocating’, ‘socializing’ and ‘co-developing’ (Figure 10). The findings also suggest that consumer engagement process is triggered by consumer loyalty, satisfaction, empowerment, connection, commitment and trust. In addition, this process might include a transitory state of dormancy, and/or termination. The researchers define “dormancy” as “a temporary state of inactive, passive engagement by individual consumers who have previously been more actively engaged with the online community”. “Termination” represents “a state of more permanent disengagement, and as such, refers to the conclusion of a consumer's engagement with a particular brand community” (Brodie et al., 2011, p.110).

Figure 11: Consumer engagement process. Source : Brodie et al., 2011.

Browden (2009) views consumer engagement as a psychological process comprising cognitive and emotional aspects. This iterative process starts with customer satisfaction 17

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and results in customer loyalty, which, similar to Vivek et al. (2012), encapsulated commitment, trust, involvement and customer delight. In addition, Mollen and Wilson (2010, p.919) developed a definition of online brand engagement, which represents “the customer’s cognitive and affective commitment to an active relationship with the brand as personified by the website or other computer-mediated entities designed to communicate brand value”. By contrast, other academics give a simple one-dimensional definition of customer-brand engagement, focused on either the emotional, or cognitive, or behavioral aspect of engagement. The behavioral dimension seems dominant within the one-dimensional perspective (Brodie et al., 2011). For instance, Verhoef (2010, p.248) argues that customer-brand engagement is “a behavioral manifestation toward the brand or firm that goes beyond transactions.” In their turn, Algesheimer et al. (2005) investigate consumer engagement as a wider concept, which affects consumers’ identification with a specific brand community. They define ‘brand community engagement’ as “a consumer’s intrinsic motivation to interact and cooperate with community members” (Algesheimer et al., 2005). According to Chaffey and Smith (2013), it is difficult to shape brand narrative without consumer engagement in these communities. It is important to point out that brand engagement is generally seen as a dynamic process, which evolves over time changing engagement levels: from non-engaged to highly engaged (Doorn, 2011; Brodie et al., 2011; Economist Intelligence Unit, 2007b). The highly engaged consumers show simultaneously various elements of brand community, including shared consciousness, shared rituals and traditions, and sense of moral responsibility to the community as a whole (Muñiz and O’Guinn, 2001). Main consequences of having highly engaged consumers are to get greater brand equity, share-of-wallet, retention, ROI and proactive word-of-mouth (Vivek et al., 2012). Smith and Zook (2011) develop the Ladder of Engagement, which shows the gradual steps of customers’ involvement towards brand loyalty and increase in sales. The lower half of the ladder stimulates consumer engagement via product ratings, reviews and discussions. The upper half of the ladder is higher-level user-generated content such as ideas, advertisements, process and projects, which allows customers to become cocreators of value. This ladder represents a long-term strategic process, which requires thorough planning, systems and resources.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

Various outcomes may arise through specific consumer-brand engagement processes. These results include ‘consumer loyalty’ and ‘satisfaction’, ‘consumer empowerment’, ‘connection’, ‘emotional bonding’, ‘trust” and ‘commitment’ (Brodie et al., 2011). These concerns are especially crucial for ‘symbolic brands’, which aim to develop perceptions of consumer-brand intimacy and emotional investment (Elliot and Percy, 2007; Hollebeek, 2013). ‘Trust’ usually evolves out of past experiences in stages going from predictability, to dependability, to trust and sometimes to faith (Rempel et al., 1985). In contrast to ‘commitment’, ‘trust’ promotes personal relationships between a brand and a consumer, and therefore builds stronger emotional bonds that go beyond utility and reliability (Hess and Story, 2005). Among these different outcomes, the concepts of loyalty (Schouten et al., 2007), commitment (Chan and Li, 2010) and empowerment (Füller et al., 2009) play the most important role in online brand community contexts. 2.3 Customer-brand engagement through the Web 2.0 2.3.1 Empowerment of consumers in the era of social media Nowadays, in the new age of augmented reality and relationship marketing, people are more willing to comment on brands and have different digital platforms to communicate with them and with each other (Springston, 2001; Hobsbawn, 2009; Solomon, 2013). O’Brien (2011) notices that the empowerment of a consumer caused a shift from customer relationship management to customer managed relationship. The development of Web 2.0 causes the increasing vulnerability of modern brand identity, as it leads to the loss of control on brand reputation and image (Fill, 2009; Ranchhod et al., 2002; Chaffey and Smith, 2013). That only confirms the power of “word-of mouth” and viral marketing (Harrison-Walker, 2001; Solomon, 2013, p.452). The term ‘viral marketing’ was first mentioned by Knight in 1996 and “refers to messages or content spreading through social media like a virus” (Botha and Reyneke, 2013: pp.160-161). Nowadays the Internet lets information spread at unprecedented speed on a global scale without being bound to a geographical location (Van der Lans and Van Bruggen, 2011). The Internet savvy consumers of the Web 2.0 era are able to interact freely with other consumers as well as brands and businesses (O’Brien, 2011). Nevertheless, the Web has also facilitated the conversation between a brand and its target audience thanks to interactive nature of social media (Pickton and Broderick, 2006; Sashi, 2012; Ubeda et al., 2013). Social media help companies become closer to customers, and therefore facilitate increased revenue and cost reduction (Baird and Parasnis, 2011). Social media, which represent Internet and mobile-based channels and 19

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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tools, also encourage audience participation, interaction and sharing (Hermida et al., 2012). According to Smith et al. (2007), people like sharing information because they aim to be helpful by providing advice. In addition, social media facilitates discovery of new content for different categories of viewers. As such, social media give equal access to everyone, which marks the democratization of business in general (Koran, 2013). In order to control content and to drive a deeper level of engagement with consumers, brands have started using ‘owned’ media, which consist of the outlets that brand own and control and might be measured through a variety of metrics: retweets, bookmarks, likes etc. (Krall, 2011; Soat, 2011). The main role of owned media is for a brand to build longerterm relationship with potential and existing customers. Moreover, it gives customers more product information, which might be translated into sales (Soat, 2011). In addition, companies can collect information about consumers’ habits and review analytics on when and from where a customer arrives through owned channels. In order to remain relevant, brands build strong platform-appropriate presence on different social medium like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Youtube and Vine (Zeereport, 2013). More and more fashion brands aim to establish one-to-one communications at large scale. The companies that want to have a high level of customer service and social networking understand that their social media presence cannot be automatic, and should be tailored in accordance with constantly changing environments and customers’ needs (Walmsley, 2009). For instance, Burberry’s personalised invitations for consumers to watch its Spring/Summer 2013 show. Overall, it is believed that the changes in consumer-brand and consumer-consumer relationships through social media represent the future of marketing (Daugherty et al., 2008). However, customers are not always willing to engage with brands. A very small percentage of consumers regularly respond to posts and producing content. Some of them prefer using social networking to connect with family and friends rather than with businesses (Baird and Parasnis, 2011). Based on the results of a TNS Digital Life Global study (2010), 61% of British citizens do not want to engage with brands through social media, and only 9 % are occasionally contributing. In addition, Baird and Parasnis (2011) argue that consumers seek to get something tangible from a brand in exchange for their time, endorsement and personal data. This argument was supported by the results of the Drapers Multichannel Report, which show that 18.6% of the respondents follow brands and retailers for special offers and discounts, 15.3% do so to keep up-to-date on new products and only 4.7% out of general interest (Drapers, 2013).

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

2.3.2 Increasing role of online videos in the brand IMC strategy The L2 Think Tank report states that more visual platforms, notably Instagram, register 25 times the engagement of community-based platforms (Social Platforms 2013, 2013). According to the Smart Insights report (2013a), one out of every two people on the Internet visits YouTube, which still remains the most popular website among video viewers (ComScore, 2013). Videos involve more senses in gathering information than any other media and more easily evoke emotions in people (Shaw and Ivens, 2002). Therefore, it offers a more engaging process in order to strengthen brand attachment (Safko and Brake, 2009; Weinberg, 2009). In addition, the use of online videos help build trust, boost conversion, engage customers, explain a concept or grow brand awareness, depending on its purpose. However, online videos seem to be an underused marketing communications tool in comparison with Facebook and Twitter (Smart Insights, 2013a, 2013b; Yehuda, 2008; Prweek, 2009). Thus, it seems important to investigate the influence of brand-created online videos on building brand engagement in consumerbrand relationships. It is essential to understand that the growth of online video popularity leads to the complications and constant changes in the elements of communication process (Jarboe, 2009). Some experts believe that digital media are mainly focused on the provision of information rather than emotional involvement, and therefore they are not good at conveying emotional brand values (Fill, 2011). Moreover, unlike other social media tools, video, which has the issues with what to watch and how to share, has not fully evolved and still mainly works through ‘copy and paste’ links. There exist a number of independent sharing websites such as Youtube, Daily Motion, Vimeo and Veoh, and since recently Vine and Instagram applications, which allow individuals and businesses to upload videos and share them with a large audience. However, it remains difficult for users to track all the videos of interest. Overall, it seems relevant to investigate to what extent brandcreated online video serves a contributing factor in building customer-brand engagement. 2.4 Summary of literature review Brand relationship is considered as a logical extension of brand personality (Blackston, 2000; Aaker, 1996). Majority of the research papers on brand personality are based on Aaker’s (1997) definition and measurement scale, which suggests five personality dimensions – ‘sincerity’, ‘excitement’, ‘competence’, ‘sophistication’ and ‘ruggedness’. However, Geuens et al. (2009) develop and test a new brand personality measure, taking

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

into consideration limitations of Aaker’s personality and including new five dimensions: ‘responsibility’, ‘activity’, ‘aggressiveness’, ‘simplicity’ and ‘emotionality’. These unique brand-related elements constitute the main source of subjective, internal consumer responses, which could be referred as ‘brand experiences’ (Brakus et al., 2009). Schmitt (1999) divides brand experience into two main categories, individual (sense, feel, think) and shared (act, relate). Pine II and Gilmore (2011) offer four types of consumer experience: educational, esthetic, entertainment and escapist, which show different stages of active-passive involvement and absorption-immersion with a customer. In order to add Pine and Gilmore’s model strength in guiding rational customer experience design, Lindgreen et al. (2009, p.125) create co-production experience model, consisting of the principles of ‘vision’, ‘access’, ‘incentive’ and ‘expertise’ The analysis of consumer-brand relationships and brand personality is closely tied to the concept of consumer-brand engagement (Hollebeek, 2011a; Gambetti et al., 2012). However, being a recent concept, consumer-brand engagement still does not have a clear definition. Majority of academics see ‘customer-brand engagement’ as a multidimensional concept, which is derived from one or multiple brand experience dimensions such as sensory, affective, intellectual and behavioral (Patterson et al., 2006; Hollebeek, 2011b; Vivek et al., 2012). By contrast, other academics give a simple one-dimensional definition of customer-brand engagement, focused on only one experience dimension (Verhoef, 2010; Brodie et al., 2011). In the end, specific consumer-brand engagement processes might lead to ‘consumer loyalty’ and ‘satisfaction’, ‘consumer empowerment’, ‘connection’, ‘emotional bonding’, ‘trust” and ‘commitment’ (Brodie et al., 2011). The development of Web 2.0 causes the increasing vulnerability of modern brands identity, as it leads to the loss of control on brand image (Fill, 2009; Ranchhod et al., 2002). In order to control the content, brands have started using ‘owned’ media (Walmsley, 2009). For instance, they seek to build strong platform-appropriate presence on different social medium like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube and Vine (Zeereport, 2013). Videos involve more senses in gathering information than any other media and more easily evoke emotions in people (Shaw and Ivens, 2002). Therefore, it offers a more engaging process in order to strengthen brand attachment (Safko and Brake, 2009; Weinberg, 2009). However, online videos seem to be an underused marketing communications tool in comparison to other social media (Smart Insights, 2013a, 2013b; Yehuda, 2008; Prweek, 2009). Thus, it seems important to investigate the influence of brand-created online videos on building brand engagement in consumer-brand relationships. 22

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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3. Proposed Research Methodology 3.1 Research Philosophy and Approach In order to achieve the aim and objectives of this project, it was important to design an appropriate plan of action. As the choice of primary research methods needs to be directly justified by its purpose, such factors as suitability, feasibility and ethics needed to be taken in consideration (Denscombe, 2010). The research design was based on a critical realism perspective, which represented a conscious compromise between extreme positivism (measuring through objective methods) and social constructivism (measuring through people’s interpretations) (Easterby-Smith et al., 2010). This research philosophy is to find a balance between scientific objective facts and human subjective constructions. Critical realists believe that what people experience are sensations, “the images of the things in the real world, not the things directly”, as quite often human senses contradict the reality (Saunders et al., 2009, p.136). The knowledge of reality is closely tied to social environment and cannot be understood without it. Critical realism helps reflect constant changes in the social world and get better understanding of it. A deductive approach, in which existing theories are applied to design a research strategy in order to test the developed hypotheses, was used to ensure reliability and rigour through structured methodology, and to establish causal relationships between variables (Saunders et al., 2009). This study tested the four hypotheses, which aim to answer the research question and achieve the research objectives: H1 (brand personality): If brand-created videos reflect brand personality, it positively influences relationship between a consumer and a brand. H2 (brand engagement): The use of brand–created videos increases the level of consumer brand engagement through the use of emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects. H3 (relationship quality): The use of brand–created videos increases the level of trust and loyalty between a consumer and a brand. H4 (co-creation): Consumers who watch brand-created videos are potential participants of video co-creation process.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

MA SFM - 2013 Kristina Voytovich

3.2 Research Strategy An exploratory study was chosen as the main research method in order to justify the purpose of the research and to get a new insight regarding the influence of Burberry and Topshop videos on the engagement process between the brands and their consumers. The research strategy sought to clarify the relationships between the concepts of brandcreated online videos and consumer-brand engagement (Saunders et al., 2009). In addition, a descriptive research was conducted to give an accurate profile of the situation and the participants prior to the collection of the data (Robson, 2002). Critical realism recognises the importance of multi-level study, which leads to the analysis of a variety of interconnected factors and processes (Saunders et al., 2009; Bryman and Bell, 2011). The concurrent mixed-methods research strategy that involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative research methods within a single research project and within a single phase of data collection and analysis was adopted to justify the mix of exploratory and descriptive case study analysis of Topshop and Burberry (Saunders et al., 2009; Hussey and Hussey, 1997). This allowed both sets of results to be collected and analysed together to provide more comprehensive conclusions of the research (Saunders et al., 2009). The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was applied to get a better understanding of a research question and more reliable findings, and to provide a more complete picture (Leech et al., 2010; Bryman and Bell, 2011). According to Denscombe (2010), different methods provide alternative perspectives and go further towards an allembracing vision of the research subject. For the purpose of this research, interviews, online observations and surveys were selected as the most suitable primary research tools to help explore the influence of brand-created online videos on the two case studies, Burberry and Topshop. Presented below is the developed research diagram, which shows the chosen primary research approach and how it meets the objectives of this study (Figure 12).

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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Figure 12: Research diagram. Source: Author.

3.3

Data Collection

3.3.1 Secondary Research: Literature Review Writing a literature review is a crucial part of any academic research, as it provides the basis on which a researcher justifies research questions and builds an appropriate research design (Bryman and Bell, 2011; Malhotra and Birks, 2007). Furthermore, a competent literature review reaffirms a researcher’s credibility and shows their knowledge in the field of study and ability to analyse the existing literature critically in order to support their arguments. In addition, collecting secondary data helps “interpret primary data with more insight” and “validate qualitative research findings” (Malhotra and Birks, 2007, p.96). It is important to add that this process also involves making decisions about which material to include from a wide range of the existing sources (Malhotra and Birks, 2007). This study reviewed a wide variety of books, academic journals and online resources including online newspapers, blogs and social media analytics platforms. The analysis of the existing secondary data has identified and confirmed a gap in the academic literature regarding the role of online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement with a customer. Please find below the main areas of research reflected in the literature review (Figure 13).

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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Figure 13: Overview of main secondary sources. Source: Author.

3.3.2 Primary research: Inferential Surveys Primary data is original first hand data, undertaken to clarify the issues discovered through secondary data, and its analysis adds something new to the field of research. A researcher collects it for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand (Malhotra and Birks, 2007). It is important to point out that primary data is focused and individually

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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tailored. However, its collection and interpretation might result in high research costs (Malhotra and Birks, 2007). As inferential surveys are often used in the relativist epistemology, they were chosen as one of the research tools (Easterby-Smith et al., 2008). They aimed to establish the relations between variables and concepts. Therefore, conducting a survey might help see the connection between brand-created videos, brand engagement, brand attachment and brand personality. In addition, the distribution of questionnaires allowed the researcher to get a considerable amount of data from many people at low cost in terms of time and money (Gray, 2009). Two separate web-based questionnaires consisting of 17 questions were designed on a Google platform (Figure 14) (Appendix 1). These questionnaires were chosen due to the automatic process of data entry, and this effectively eliminates the human error factor (Denscombe, 2010). They included the questions about both facts and opinions to reveal straightforward information about respondents, and their feelings and beliefs (Denscombe, 2010). Moreover, the questionnaires included “behavioural variable”, in addition to “opinion variable” and “attribute variable”, to record the data of people’s past, current and future actions in relation to brand-created videos (Dillman, 2007, cited in Saunders et al., 2009, p. 368). Overall, all these types of variables sought to explore the correlation between opinions and real actions of the respondents (Saunders et al., 2009). The questionnaires were pre-tested on six people, three males and three females, between the age of 18-35 on 9th August, 2013. After receiving the feedback, the necessary adjustments, mainly regarding the language, were made, and the primary research started. The questionnaire was dispensed to a group of 90 Burberry and Topshop customers selected at random between 27th August, 2013 and 31st October, 2013. Due to the limitations of time, finance and ability to travel, opportunity sampling was selected for this survey (Saunders et al., 2009). This survey was self-administrated and distributed through various social media including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and LinkedIn.

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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Figure 14: Research questionnaire. Source: Author.

The designed questionnaires along with the literature review aimed to investigate four main hypotheses of this research paper. The surveys were constructed based on the theories from the main sources - Geuens, Weijters and Wulf’s (2010) brand personality model, Park, MacInnis, Priester, Eisingerich and Iacobucci’s (2010) brand attachment model and brand engagement models such as Hollebeek (2011b), Brodie et al. (2011), Vivek et al. (2012) (Figure 15).

Figure 15: Survey questions. Source: Author.

3.3.3 Primary research: Semi-structured interviews Nine semi-structured interviews with the Burberry and Topshop representatives and the filmmakers including from White Lodge, London Sessions, Hidden Agency and Tank Magazine were conducted in order to collect more ‘privileged’ information and to add depth to the analysis of the role of brand-created videos in consumer-brand engagement (Denscombe, 2010) (Appendix 2). The list of themes and questions was written, although it slightly varied from interview to interview in order to explore more thoroughly the research question (Saunders et al., 28

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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2009). As well as the inferential surveys, the interviews focused on investigating the four research hypotheses (Figure 16). The open-ended questions provided qualitative data, which gave an insight into interviewees’ opinions, feelings and experiences on brand engagement and role of brand-created video in the IMC strategy. The respondents had a chance to expand on their answers to develop ideas and points of interest, and clarify their position if needed. The face-to-face interviews were chosen as one of the primary research methods, as they are good at giving accurate and relevant information due to their direct contact nature that might be easily checked for accuracy and relevance (Denscombe, 2010). All the face-toface interviews were prearranged and scheduled for a convenient time and location to provide high response rate (Denscombe, 2010). In their turn, the use of Internet interviews, which were conducted in a written form in certain cases, allowed eliminating the possibility of inaccuracies at the data entry stage (Denscombe, 2010).

Figure 16: Interview questions. Source: Author.

3.3.4 Primary research: Observations In addition, a series of systematic observations of the chosen brands were conducted throughout the research process to collect direct systematic data within the four research hypotheses (Figure 17). This method secures information that might be ignored by the others, and collects data at the time they take place in their natural setting (Saunders et al., 2009). Observations represent a “complex combination of sensation and perception”, which leads to a certain interpretation of meanings (Gray, 2009, p. 396). However, when properly established, they collect considerable amount of pre-coded data with the highlevels of interobserver reliability (Denscombe, 2010). 29

An exploratory study of brand-created online videos as a contributing factor in building brand engagement: case study of Topshop and Burberry

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The conducted systematic observation aimed to record “the behavioural patterns of people, objects and events in a systematic manner to obtain information” about the social activity of Burberry and Topshop (Malhotra and Birks, 2007, p. 283). Therefore, social media including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Vine, Google + and Pinterest were monitored, and the results were recorded based of the self-designed observation schedule. The main goal of the observations was to document the level of consumer engagement and the use of brand-created videos in Topshop and Burberry’s integrated marketing communications strategy. The purpose of observation schedule was to minimize the variations that would arise from data based on individual perceptions of events and situations and to provide a viable universal framework (Denscombe, 2010). It also eliminated any possible bias from the feelings, opinions and personal past experiences of the observer. In order to record data, it was important to design a checklist of items, which would be relevant to the research question: frequency, engagement metrics and purpose (Bailey et al., 1995). Based on the results of pilot monitoring taking place in June, 2013, it was decided to monitor every evening for sixteen weeks starting from July 8th, 2013 to October 27th, 2013, in order to track brand-created videos on different social media and then compare the audience’s activity in a week.

Figure 17: Checklist for observations. Source: Author.

3.4 Data Analysis The received observation data, along with the results of the semi-structured interviews and inferential surveys, was applied to investigate the hypotheses based on the analysis of the two case studies, Burberry and Topshop.

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For case study analysis, pattern matching technique, which compares an empirically based pattern with a predicted one, was selected as the most appropriate one to test the developed hypotheses (Yin, 2009; Remenyi et al., 1998). This logic was chosen to demonstrate how to conduct literal and theoretical replications, which confirm and contradict the suggested pattern respectively, in order to gain insights into the studied phenomena. The collected qualitative data received from the interviews as well as the one derived from the surveys and the observations was analysed through content analysis. This type of the analysis investigates the hypotheses decided in advance (Easterby-Smith et al., 2008). Content analysis is usually used as a way of quantifying the contents of the text in order to reveal what is relevant in the text, what priorities emerge and which values are expressed through the text, and how ideas are related (Denscombe, 2010). It measures what is contained, the frequency and order of the content in the text, positive and negative views on issues, and the proximity and logic of ideas (Malhotra and Birks, 2007). The qualitative data was transcribed and classified into a framework arranged by content in accordance with the tested hypotheses. Relevant findings were extracted and compared with the quantitative data findings and the literature review (Coffey and Atkinson, 1996). The collected quantitative data, such as surveys and observations, was organised through various pie charts, histograms and other visual tables in order to investigate the hypotheses and to understand the relationships between the multiple variables. The factors of validity and reliability were taken into consideration to ensure that the surveys remained relevant for the research objectives. 3.5 Ethics While collecting and analysing primary research, it was important to consider a number of ethical issues such as confidentiality of individuals and organisations, privacy, informed consent and dignity (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). Based on Diener and Crandall’s (1978) classification, ethical principles were divided into four main areas: harm to participants, lack of informed content, invasion of privacy and deception. The main concerns were related to relationships between researchers and research participants, and the others could arise in the course of the research (Bryman and Bell, 2011). It was essential to remain honest and transparent in communication about the research to all interested parties and avoid any false reporting of research findings (Easterby-Smith et al., 2008). In addition, the collected data was to remain confidential due to concerns raised by the way of routine collection and storing of digital data, and the practices of data sharing (Bryman and Bell, 2011). 31

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3.6 Limitations This research had a number of limitations that needed to be taken into consideration while analysing the findings. Firstly, this study examined only two brands and therefore might not be unconditionally applied to other examples and lack the degree of rigour (Denscombe, 2010; Slater, 1998). Secondly, the results of the primary and secondary research, which were partially based on the personal interpretations of the researcher, should be received with some reservations. As such, the research might have led to the ‘observer effect’ because people were likely to change their behaviour if they were aware of being observed or asked questions (Denscombe, 2010: 69). The ‘interviewer effect’ also might have taken place, as the data received from the interviews was dependent on what people said rather than what they did. Moreover, the use of content analysis and pattern matching might have led to the dislocation of the meanings from the context in which were originally placed and even the intentions of the author (Denscombe, 2010; Malhotra and Birks, 2007). In addition, the systematic observations had a number of disadvantages, as it might have simplified the analysed situation, missed contextual information and showed only overt behaviour without indicating real intentions (Denscombe, 2010). Finally, it was also important to acknowledge such restraints as time, finance, ability to travel and availability of corporate data (Hussey and Hussey, 1997).

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4. Case Studies 4.1 Burberry and Topshop: Overview of the brands current role of video in the IMC strategy Burberry For the past few years, Burberry has been at the cutting-edge of digital technology. The Financial Times called Burberry “the most connected brand in luxury” thanks to its “immersive and seamless melding of online with offline”, from RFID-enabled personalized content at the AW13 runway show to the interactive retail theatre of Burberry World Live (Interbrand, 2013). Burberry was the first brand ever to live stream a fashion show, the SS10 collection (Frank, 2013). Burberry then streamed its AW11 collection across one of the screens in Piccadilly together with other live streams broadcast at the Burberry flagship stores around the world in order to bring the show to a wide audience “in an immersive, interactive and entertaining experience” (Bergin, 2011). In 2012, Burberry used animated GIFs, which could be seen as the forerunner of videos, to showcase online each runway look as part of the live Tweetwalk (Iezzi, 2012). Furthermore, Burberry was among the first fashion brands, which developed the concept of real-time purchasing straight off the runway (Arthur, 2013). In early 2013, through a short introductory video, the brand presented the ‘Smart Personalisation’ service whereby customers could order looks and customise them through the ‘Runway Made to Order’ program that features product engraving and customized digital content (Frank, 2013; Barbat, 2013). In September 2013, Burberry collaborated with Apple to photograph, video and share content before, during and after the SS14 catwalk show, using iSight camera on a new iPhone 5S (Sedghi, 2013; Apple, 2013). The SS14 runway show also demonstrated the 5S’ slow-motion capabilities via Instagram and YouTube, and “depicted a sketch coming to life” via Vine (Silverstein, 2013). As a result, according to a report of social media agency Jam, Burberry reached nearly 300,000 mentions on Twitter and Instagram during London Fashion Week, which let it take the first place in the social media run (Bold, 2013b). Furthermore, Burberry forged a successful collaboration with Google, under the Art, Copy and Code project, which resulted in the creation of a special application ‘Burberry Kisses’. This application let people send an interactive kiss to anyone anywhere in the world by 33

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‘kissing’ a mobile device (Sowray, 2013b). As part of this digital ‘Burberry Kisses’ experience, Burberry launched the advertising AW13 campaign starring the British celebrity couple - actress Sienna Miller and her fiancé Tom Sturridge (Nias, 2013). The campaign included additional video and behind the scenes content, which was shown across Burberry's online and offline channels. According to Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey, the brand always aimed to create an emotional environment for its customers on and offline: “Burberry Kisses began with the idea of giving technology a bit of heart and soul, and using it to unite the Burberry family across the world - by telling a story that makes the digital personal (Sowray, 2013b).” Moreover, in 2010 Christopher Bailey launched the music project ‘Burberry Acoustic’, which consisted of videos with emerging British talents performing acoustic songs and wearing clothes from Burberry’s collections (Pilkington, 2010). Some of these musicians became the faces of Burberry’s advertising campaigns or performed at Burberry’s runway shows and special live events around the globe (Sowray, 2013a). In addition, Burberry created a number of YouTube videos about the ‘Art of the Trench’ events taking place in various cities around the globe including Seoul, Shanghai and Brazil. Launched in 2009, ‘Art of the Trench’ represents a digital platform for everyday people to upload and share on various social media their street looks wearing iconic Burberry trench coats (Silverstein, 2013). Overall, Burberry has experimented widely with video content, from live stream runway show invitations to videos about Burberry’s craftsmanship and historical heritage. The importance of video as the digital marketing tool was confirmed as well by the exclusive video interviews with the Burberry’s official spokesmen. Christopher Bailey shared his insights about Burberry’s new projects and collections, and former CEO Angela Ahrendts discussed Burberry’s financial results. In October 2013, via a You Tube video, Burberry announced the appointment of Christopher Bailey as Burberry’s CEO replacing Angela Ahrendts, adding it to his Chief Creative Officer title (Kansara, 2013b). In addition, Burberry implemented the medium of video on a corporate level. The Burberry’s London-based head office uses Facetime video conferencing to communicate with the offices outside the UK and the factory (Dishman, 2012). Christopher Bailey and Angela Ahrendts used to create monthly short videos to update their employees on Burberry’s progress. Christopher Bailey sees it as a storybook, which “builds so you have this big portfolio that is like our own internal YouTube that unites the company” (Dishman, 2012). 34

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Topshop Similar to Burberry, Topshop acknowledged the visual and financial power of live stream runway shows. In September 2012, Topshop, which broadcast the show on the official website, Twitter page and media partners’ websites, had an audience of more than two million people from 100 countries (McDonald, 2012). In February 2013, Topshop doubled that number by reaching the audience of four million people (Indvik, 2013). Topshop Unique’s catwalk was broadcast on the official website, Google+, Twitter, fashion blogs, and on the screen in the window of Topshop’s Oxford Street flagship store. In addition, YouTube served as a broadcast channel ‘Topshop TV’ after being customized to receive a live feed (The Trend Boutique, 2013). Moreover, Topshop screened behind-the-scenes YouTube videos of the models and the creative team preparing for the show. Bloggers and fans were able to join a Google Hangout, which included a digital diary of all the behind-the-scenes events, with Topshop’s creative director Kate Phelan and the Topshop design team. According to Former Topshop’s CMO Justin Cooke, during just the first five minutes of the show, there were over 200,000 social media shares on Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, using the ‘Shoot the Show’ feature (Mullany, 2013). Furthermore, in February 2013, the tiny cameras, ‘Model Cams’, broadcast the show through model’s eyes, giving the audience an opportunity to see what it was like to walk down a catwalk. Using the ‘Shoot and Share’ application, viewers of the live runway show, as well as the recorded version, could capture and post on to social networks still images of the models. Furthermore, Topshop collaborated with Google to develop the application ‘Be the Buyer’, which allowed fans to create moodboards that mixed their favourite runway looks and then to share them in various social media while getting tips from buying experts. The main goal of this application was to get feedback on what items were most popular among customers (Neel, 2013). The data Topshop collected via its customers’ digital activity allowed the brand to identify and track buying patterns in ways that could translate into real sales (Hill, 2012). In addition, a few days before the AW13 catwalk show, Google+ and Topshop installed a ‘Be the Model’ photo booth in Topshop’s Oxford Street store. Consumers had an opportunity to try on Topshop outfits and make GIFs, which they could post on their social networks (Mullany, 2013). In September 2013, Topshop's flagship store hosted a Chirp and Twitter garden that shoppers could walk through and in doing so receive exclusive content about the SS14 catwalk show. Chirp is a “technology that enables people at a single location to share 35

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information between their mobile devices via a “chirp” sound” (Bold, 2013a). Topshop shoppers were also able to shop make up looks from the catwalk and buy the runway show soundtrack in real time on the website (Sedghi, 2013). However, the use of Chirp generated less conversation than expected with only 8,130 mentions on Twitter and Instagram, which is by more than 200,000 less than Burberry (Bold, 2013b). This result was predicted by social media experts due to the limited reach of the application - a person needed to be at the Topshop Unique SS14 runway show to be able to use Chirp (Bold, 2013b). In December 2012, Topshop launched its first ever Christmas movie ‘Winter Wonderland’ starring the American actress Kate Bosworth (Arcadia Group, 2012). This film was available via all social media platforms, Topshop’s official page, cinemas, digital billboards, screens installed in flagship stores and interactive audio windows around the world. In 2013, Topshop and Kate Bosworth collaborated again to create the festivalwear and the AW13 capsule collections, which were accompanied by the short videos ‘The Road to Coachella’ and ‘The Collection’ respectively (Bevan, 2013; Milligan, 2013). Overall, every season Topshop shoots advertising campaigns and short e-commerce videos featuring pieces from new collections. In addition, the British high street brand also creates YouTube make up and styling tutorials to give the useful tips on how to wear pieces from new collections and what the seasonal trends are. Through the medium of video, Topshop also announces new store openings, collaborations with fashion designers and other important brand news. What is more, Topshop’s head office developed an internal communication strategy, which suggested creating videos to translate visually and more creatively ideas to the company’s employees rather than printed documents (Hill, 2012). 4.2 Findings and presentation of data 4.2.1 Observation findings Based on the results of the observations, it can be concluded that both Burberry and Topshop used various social media platforms in their marketing strategy. The brands mainly uploaded and shared video content on selected weekdays without having a particular schedule while still image content was regularly posted on a daily basis including weekends (Appendix 3). One week they might have no single video posted, the other week they could post about ten videos, especially during London Fashion Week. Both Burberry and Topshop had more frequent video uploads before new product launches, runways shows and other important events. 36

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During the observation period, Topshop uploaded more videos (64) than Burberry (49) (Appendix 4) despite the fact that the British high street brand did not post for almost a month between 23rd July 2013 and 18th August 2013. However, this did not necessarily lead to a bigger impact on consumer behaviour and therefore to a higher level of consumer-brand engagement. Indeed, the results of the observations showed that Burberry subscribers and followers on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ were more active on the average in terms of sharing, retweeting and other activity (Figure 18; See in full Appendix 5). On Pinterest, the level of consumer activity for Topshop was slightly higher than for Burberry. Only on Instagram, Topshop had more followers, likes and comments than Burberry. The data presented below in the text showed the total number of followers on the last day of the observations – 27th October 2013.

Figure 18: Average consumer activity in regard to Burberry and Topshop video content. Source: Author.

During the observation period, both Burberry and Topshop had similar video content, which included advertising campaigns, live streamed runway shows, behind the scenes videos, etc. They also showed an interest in collaborating with upcoming musicians and shooting music videos with them, as Burberry launched the ‘Burberry Acoustic’ project, and Topshop made a series of interviews with emerging musicians for its ‘Inside-Out’ blog. Nevertheless, both brands had their own unique content as well. Topshop did a number of styling and make up YouTube tutorials, describing seasonal trends or showing how to wear particular pieces from the collections in store. What is more, the British highstreet brand shot a series of videos to promote a new issue of its zine, featuring the Topshop products. In its turn, through YouTube videos, Burberry promoted the ‘Art of the Trench’ events.

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The results of the primary research showed that Burberry and Topshop both used social media to introduce and promote their video content but in a different way. For instance, the observation data indicated that Topshop rarely posted YouTube videos on social media platforms other than YouTube itself. The exception was made for the videos about the latest advertising campaign, the Topshop Unique runway SS14 show and the SS14 fashion shows held at the Topshop Showspace. By the end of October 2013, Topshop had 33,192 subscribers on YouTube, which marked an increase in a total number of subscribers of only 4000 during those sixteen weeks of observations (Appendix 6). In comparison, having more than 3.5 million followers on Facebook and more than 700 thousand followers on Twitter, Topshop increased a total number of followers of more than 100,000 and 45,000 respectively during only the last nine weeks of observations (Appendix 7). However, in the last few weeks of the observation period, Topshop started more actively using other social media, especially Facebook and Google+. In its turn, Burberry with 84,674 subscribers, which has almost two and a half times more than Topshop’s subscribers, targeting a wider audience by sharing its videos on multiple social media including Facebook and Twitter where it has more than 16.5 millions followers and 2.3 millions followers respectively (Appendix 6, 7). Both brands used YouTube as a key video channel to promote latest advertising campaigns, runway shows and special events (Figure 19). In addition, Burberry also posted there the important company news such as the appointment of the new CEO, and the introduction videos of new products and services. During the observation period, Burberry shared almost all the YouTube videos on Facebook and Twitter, whereas Topshop rarely posted on about its latest runway show or styling tutorials. At the same time, Topshop was active on Twitter, sharing video content about the latest advertising campaigns and collections, special events and runway shows. Furthermore, Burberry and Topshop were among the first technology-forward fashion brands, which started using Vine and Instagram in their marketing strategies. According to Nitrogram statistics, Topshop and Burberry ranked fifth (1,502,014 followers; 2,379,962 post per hashtag) and twenty-second (1,045,142 followers; 879,441 post per hashtag) respectively among the most popular brands on Instagram on 27th October 2013 (Nitrogram, 2013). Both applications were used by the brands as a tool to support the social media coverage of runway shows and to promote pieces from new collections. During the observation period, Topshop preferred Instagram videos (25) to Vine (16), showing pieces from new collections in stores and introducing seasonal trends, whereas Burberry was equally implementing both Instagram (9) and Vine (9) into its marketing 38

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strategy (Appendix 5). Burberry and Topshop actively used both applications during the London Fashion Week, often creating the same video content for Instagram and Vine. Pinterest and Google+, which were incorporated in the Burberry and Topshop’s digital marketing strategy only in 2012, are also considered as relatively new media channels for both brands. During the observation period, Burberry and Topshop mainly used these social networks to post still pictures featuring the advertising campaigns, the pieces from new collections and some other brand information. Topshop with 50,782 followers posted videos on Pinterest only four times, during the London Fashion Week, and Burberry with 64,546 followers used it eight times, mainly for the Burberry Acoustic folder. The brands considered Google+ more suitable for video content in comparison to Pinterest, which was created particularly for still image content (Appendix 6, 7). Topshop with 1,928,188 people in its circle posted videos 12 times, and Burberry with 3,280,626 people posted 21 times (Appendix 6, 7). On Google+, both brands posted selected advertising campaigns, runway shows and special videos such as Burberry Acoustic and Art of Trench. In addition, Burberry shared the videos promoting the pieces from the new collections. Overall, the results of the primary research showed that Burberry was set more than Topshop to have a conversation with a consumer through the medium of video, as Christopher Bailey and Angela Ahrendts occasionally appeared in the Burberry’s video interviews to present new brand initiatives and talk to the audience about the financial results. Topshop mainly engaged with the audience only during the London Fashion Week via social media and special applications.

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Figure 19: Comparative analysis of channels and content of Burberry and Topshop videos. Source: Author.

4.2.2 Survey findings The inferential survey divided into two questionnaires was conducted through over a period of nine weeks, with 90 respondents, including 72 women and 18 men (Seen in full Appendix 8). The majority of respondents are London-based and aged between 18 and 34 years old. 55% of respondents work either full-time, or part-time, or were self-employed, and 45% of respondents are unemployed, including full-time students. The results of online surveys showed that the majority of respondents watched videos created by Burberry or Topshop. However, 41% of Topshop respondents pointed out they did it rarely, and 27% have never watched Topshop videos, explaining it by the lack of interest in Topshop videos or the lack of awareness about them: “never seen them anywhere”; “did not know they existed” (Figure 20). In contrast, the Burberry respondents demonstrated a higher level of interest in videos created by Burberry. 70% of respondents, who gave answers between three and five, regularly watched videos created by Burberry, and only 14% have never watched them, explaining it by the lack of interest in the brand or its videos: “waste of time”; “never thought to”.

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Figure 20: Consumer attitude towards Burberry (left) and Topshop (right) video content (1 – “Never”, 5 – “I watch every video”). Source: Author.

Both the Burberry and Topshop respondents were predominantly interested in watching advertising campaigns, fashion films, runways shows and special promotions. In addition, the Burberry respondents were interested in interviews and music videos created by the brand. In terms of channels where the respondents were watching the brands’ videos, both Burberry and Topshop respondents preferred going to the official website, YouTube, Facebook and fashion blogs (Figure 21).

Figure 21: Channels where people prefer watching Burberry (top) and Topshop (bottom) videos. Source: Author.

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H1: Brand personality and H2: Brand engagement The questions 5-10 investigated the concepts of brand personality and brand engagement in relation to Burberry and Topshop videos. 49% of Burberry respondents strongly agreed and 32% agreed that videos created by the brand coincided with the perception of Burberry image (Figure 22). In contrast, the Topshop respondents were not so certain if Topshop videos brand reflected the brand’s personality. 30% of Topshop respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement, and, what is more, only 13% of Topshop respondents strongly agreed.

Figure 22: Reflection of brand personality shown in Burberry (left) and Topshop (right) videos. Source: Author.

Based on Geuens, Weijters and Wulf’s (2009) measurement scale, the Topshop respondents saw the brand as dynamic and innovative (‘activity’) (48%), and aggressive and bold (‘aggressiveness’) (23%), and the Burberry respondents saw the brand as dynamic and innovative (‘activity’) (46%), and romantic and sentimental (‘emotionality’) (20%). Moreover, the results showed that videos created by Burberry and Topshop evoked certain feelings and emotions among the respondents. Based on the Park’s (2010) concept of ‘self-connection’ and Hollebeek’s (2011a) concepts of ‘immersion’ and ‘passion’, it was established that 31% of Burberry respondents felt more passionate about the brand after watching Burberry videos and 33% felt more connected to it. In addition, 22% felt some emotional connection towards Burberry but it was not strong enough to have a lasting effect on the consumers (Figure 23). In contrast, only 17% of Topshop respondents felt more passionate about Topshop and only 7% felt more emotionally connected to the brand after watching the brand’s videos.

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Figure 23: Emotions and feelings expressed by the respondents towards Burberry (top) and Topshop (bottom) after watching their videos. Source: Author.

After watching Topshop videos, the respondents were more likely to visit Topshop’s official website (41%) or go to a physical store (20%). It is interesting to note that only 14% would leave a comment or 10% would discuss the brand with the others (Figure 24). On the contrary, only 5% of Burberry respondents would go to a store after watching a Burberry video, which might be explained by the brand’s high price level. The Burberry respondents rather sought to engage with the brand in other ways, including visiting Burberry’s official website (20%), discussing the brand and its product with others (20%), and performing online activity such as ‘liking’ a video (19%).

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Figure 24: Possible actions of the respondents after watching Burberry (top) and Topshop (bottom) videos. Source: Author.

In addition, the vast majority of Burberry (71%) and Topshop (76%) respondents pointed out that they would be interested in watching, sharing or commenting on a video if they might get something in return such as gifts or tickets to a gig. These results showed that consumers were willing to engage more with the brands if they would get something in return. H3: Relationship quality and H4: Co-creation The questions 11 and 12 analysed the concepts of relationship quality and co-creation in relation to Burberry and Topshop videos. According to the survey results regarding customer satisfaction and trust, 52% of Burberry respondents felt more satisfied with Burberry’s activity, and 19% started trusting the brand more than before watching videos (Figure 25). Nevertheless, 21% of respondents did not change their attitude towards Burberry. In contrast, only 29% felt more satisfied with Topshop’s activity, and 16% started trusting the brand more than before. More than 50% of Topshop respondents did not change their attitude towards the brand at all.

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Figure 25: Evaluation of general attitude towards Burberry (top) and Topshop (bottom) after watching their videos. Source: Author.

Moreover, 57% of Burberry respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their desire to follow Burberry’s online and offline activity increased after watching Burberry videos, and only 17% disagreed with this statement. However, Topshop-created videos did not have a huge impact on the Topshop respondents, as 37% of Topshop respondents agreed, 30% disagreed, and 33% neither agreed, not disagreed that their desire to follow Topshop’s on and offline activity increased. In addition, the results of the survey showed that, despite the first signs of customer’s interest in co-creation of value and active participation in the brands’ activity (Sashi, 2012), the majority of respondents did not express a strong desire to create their own videos as part of communication with Topshop and Burberry. 41% of Topshop respondents disagreed, and 17% neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement (Figure 26). As far as Burberry concerns, 51% of Burberry respondents expressed some interest in video co-creation. Nevertheless, 36% of respondents disagreed, and 12% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement, which is slightly better than Topshop.

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Figure 26: General attitude of the respondents towards co-creation as part of communication with Burberry (left) and Topshop (right). Source: Author.

4.2.3 Interview findings Nine semi-structured interviews with the Burberry and Topshop representatives and the filmmakers from White Lodge, London Sessions, Hidden Agency and Tank Magazine were conducted in order to collect more ‘privileged’ information and to add depth to the analysis of the role of brand-created videos in consumer-brand engagement (Denscombe, 2010). As well as the inferential surveys, the interviews focused on investigating the four research hypotheses.

H1: Brand personality All the interviewees agreed that brand-created videos should reflect the core values of a brand, as it would positively influence engagement process with a target market and make a customer closer to a brand (Appendix 9). Therefore, it is essential for a brand to creatively translate its identity through all the content it produces. The examples follow: •

“[A brand] would want all this content, from videos to photography pictures, to reflect

this aura, this ethos, this image of a brand…” (Interviewee 3, filmmaker)

However, some interviewees emphasised the importance for a brand of being willing to experiment with its image, as it brings the element of fun and surprise in consumer-brand relationships. This is particularly a difficult step for old brands, which are more conservative regarding their image in comparison to emerging brands, and ask from filmmakers to follow a list of instructions to the letter. According to the interviewed Burberry marketing executive, Burberry acknowledged the importance of a consistent brand image. As such, the British luxury brand sought to express through various elements of its marketing communication strategy including brand-created online videos:

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•

“Everything we do projects our values and the values we try to stretch into as well...”

(Interviewee 6, Burberry)

The interviewed Topshop representative also agreed that Topshop-created videos aimed to reflect brand personality, as it helped strengthen the bonds between the brand and its customers. Therefore, all video-related projects were usually briefed with the brand personality in mind: •

“It is such a big insight into the brand and more importantly how it works behind the

scenes.” (Interviewee 8, Topshop)

H2: Brand engagement The interviewees admitted that it was hard to measure the level of consumer-brand engagement through videos or to predict consumer reaction. For instance, if a consumer is not active online or offline, it does not mean that a video does not have an influence on them: •

“…I do not post any single comment, tweet or do anything. But it does not mean that it

does not have a huge impact on me and my opinion of a brand…” (Interviewee 1, filmmaker)

Brands want people to react in order to get better understanding of them and their buying habits. Consumer endorsement through active voluntary promotion of content might help brands reach their commercial aims. They want consumers to be inspired and be able to incorporate a brand into their everyday lifestyle. Moreover, fashion brands seek to encourage consumers through videos to share and debate about the products. According to one of the interviewees, brands often focus on driving an emotional engagement with a brand in order to increase the level of brand attachment and to boost sales: •

“…fashion film, specifically commercial rather than editorial content, is intended to

provoke an emotional engagement with the brand to either strengthen brand affinity or multiply sales…” ( Interviewee 5, executive producer and creative director)

The Burberry and Topshop representatives argued that their brands used a wide range of opportunities to reach a new audience in a different way, which made the engagement process more creative and innovative: •

“We want to relate to the customer but also feel cool and innovative. Brands want good

feelings associated with their content but it also now needs to be impactful so a seed is sown in the consumers mind.” (Interviewee 8, Topshop)

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H3: Relationship quality However, there was not a unified opinion among the interviewees on the issue of power of brand-created videos to increase the levels of trust, loyalty and satisfaction. Some interviewees believed that people might remember a video that they watched years ago, and therefore it had a long-term, powerful effect on people: •

“The longevity of these films could be potentially very good because you might

remember a short film you have seen years ago…” (Interviewee 1, filmmaker)

The others argued that videos did not have a lasting impact over consumers, and their power was in the initial viral injection, which created the buzz around a brand and reached millions people around the globe at once. One interviewee said: •

“…It is probably still the initial viral injection, which is important part of a brand…”

(Interviewee 4, film director)

The Burberry representatives explained a short-lasting effect of videos by the abundance of video content the brands produce every month and by their “ephemeral” nature: “We create so much content, which does not live long at all. It is a throw away. This is

•

the thing with the video. Although, with the still image, I don’t think it is. It is so solid. ...” (Interviewee 7, Burberry)

This position might also be confirmed by the results of the observations, which indicated a slight change in consumers’ activity numbers of a video on the day it was posted and in a week (Appendix 3). In addition, the Topshop executives argued that brand-created videos rather sought to give an insight into the brand than increased the level of trust, as they were able to bring customers closer to Topshop and to start a conversation between the customer and the brand: •

“If done well they [brand-created online videos] can defiantly increase consumer belief

and brand profile and popularity.” (Interviewee 8, Topshop)

H4: Co-creation The interviewed filmmakers considered co-creation as an “exciting” and “fun” concept, which needed to be carefully applied. In their opinion, the use of co-creation helps a brand know the audience better and increase the level of engagement between a brand and a consumer: 48

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•

“It might be very surprising and rewarding for them. And then you can get to know the

audience better as well, and the level of engagement...” (Interviewee 3, filmmaker)

Some interviewees suggested Instagram as the most possible instrument for co-creation due to the high quality of its pictures and the simplicity of use. The Burberry marketing executive agreed that co-creation was an interesting concept as it created a strong community, and the ‘Art of Trench’ might be a possible direction for it: •

“…co-creation is interesting because it creates a community, drives an excitement,

becoming a part of the brand. There is just a bit of technology that needs to catch up…” (Interviewee 6, Burberry)

However, Burberry has not developed a working framework for consumers to work into yet, which is very important to a brand, as Burberry is quite sensitive about its image and content of videos it posts: •

“We are not against it. But you need to provide a template for people to work into. It is

still your brand world…” (Interviewee 6, Burberry)

The development of framework for co-creation is also important to Topshop, which is interested in attracting creative consumers. Previous social campaigns such as designing a prom dress or sending pictures of best Halloween consumers have already demonstrated a high level of consumer involvement, and therefore confirmed the growing desire of Topshop customers to get involved: •

“Potentially, [Topshop is interested in video co-creation as part of consumer-brand

engagement] especially the more creative consumers. But I know as a brand we are very precious about who we work with, so they would defiantly needed to be creatively educated.” (Interviewee 8, Topshop)

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5. Discussion and conclusion 5.1

Discussion

The findings of primary and secondary research, which aimed to investigate to what extent brand-created online videos served a contributing factor in building consumerbrand engagement, were presented in the previous chapters. This chapter opens a discussion for a final conclusion, managerial applications, limitations and future research suggestions. The findings confirmed that if brand-created videos reflect brand personality, it positively influences relationship between a consumer and a brand. As it was stated before, it is common for people to relate themselves to brands in the same way they do to other humans in order to build emotional bonds between them and brands (Eagly and Chaiken, 1993; Varey, 2002). Therefore, it is essential for both Burberry and Topshop to regard brand personality as one of the key elements of their engagement process with a consumer. Indeed, all the interviewees agreed that brand-created videos should reflect the core of brand values, as it makes a customer feel closer to the brand. Analysing the case studies, some interviewees pointed out that both Burberry and Topshop sought to express their personalities through their brand-created videos. Topshop was called “experimental” and “young”, whereas Burberry was called “subtle” and “tasteful” (Appendix 2). The respondents described Topshop as dynamic and innovative, and aggressive and bold, and Burberry as “dynamic and innovative”, and “romantic and sentimental” (Appendix 8). These characteristics, received from the respondents and the interviewees, corresponded to the personalities of the case studies. As a ‘symbolic brand’ (Elliot and Percy, 2007), aiming to develop perceptions of consumer-brand intimacy and emotional investment, Burberry might be considered as sentimental and emotional. In its turn, Topshop might be considered as aggressive and bold because its audience loves experimenting with fashion trends. Overall, it might be concluded that, while both understanding the importance of embracing the concept of ‘brand personality’, Burberry managed to build a more distinctive brand image than Topshop. Indeed, more than 80% of Burberry respondents agreed that brandcreated videos reflected its personality, which was shown through advertising campaigns, runway shows and special events videos. However, Topshop did not manage to translate properly its vision through video content, as the respondents were not so certain if Topshop-created videos reflected the brand’s personality and this indicator was only equal to 56% (Figure 22). This result might be partially explained by the lack of high quality content videos. The more frequent use of narrative-based videos, which include 50

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advertising campaigns, might lead to a stronger brand image, as this type of videos represents a means of initiating social interactions with consumers (Navarro-Bailón, 2012). Advertising is able to send consistent messages to the audience and to create a strong perception of a brand (Buttle, 1991). Furthermore, the findings confirmed that the use of brand–created videos increased the level of consumer-brand engagement through the use of emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects. According to the interviewees, brands want people to react in order to get better understanding of them and their buying habits. They want consumers to drive an emotional engagement with a brand in order to increase the level of brand attachment and multiply sales. The interviewed Burberry and Topshop representatives argued that their brands developed a wide range of opportunities including brand-created videos to make the engagement process with their consumers more creative and innovative. The videos created by Burberry and Topshop during the observation period evoked certain feelings and emotions among the respondents. It was noted earlier that videos involved more senses in gathering information than any other media and more easily evoked emotions in people (Shaw and Ivens, 2002). Based on the Park’s (2010) concept of ‘self-connection’ and Hollebeek’s (2011a) concepts of ‘immersion’, ‘passion’ and ‘activation’, it was established that 31% of Burberry respondents felt more passionate about the brand after watching Burberry videos and 33% felt more connected to it (Figure 23). In contrast, only 17% of Topshop respondents felt more passionate about Topshop and only 7% felt more emotionally connected to the brand after watching the brand’s videos. Nevertheless, the Topshop videos were more successful than Burberry in attracting consumers to physical and online stores. After watching Topshop videos, the respondents admitted to be more likely to visit Topshop’s official website (41%) or go to a physical store (20%) (Figure 24). On the contrary, only 5% of Burberry respondents would go to a store after watching a Burberry video, which might be explained by the brand’s high price level. The Burberry respondents rather sought to engage with the brand in other ways, including visiting Burberry’s official website (20%), discussing the brand and its product with others (20%) and performing online activity such as ‘liking’ a video (19%). In contrast, the Topshop respondents showed lower levels of online engagement - only 14% would leave a comment or 10% would discuss the brand with others. Therefore, based on Brodie’s (2011) concept of brand engagement, it can be concluded that both Burberry and Topshop respondents preferred to communicate with the brand through the subprocesses of ‘learning’, ‘socialising’ and ‘sharing’. In addition, few Burberry respondents communicated through ‘advocating’ by joining Burberry communities (14%). However, 51

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taking consideration the interview and literature review findings (TNS Digital Life Global study, 2010), it is important to understand that if a consumer is not active online or offline, it does not mean that a video does not have an influence on them. Therefore, it makes it difficult to identify and measure the role of a video in consumer-brand engagement. All in all, the case studies both tried to build a strong bond with their consumers through the use of different aspects of consumer-brand engagement. Burberry was more focused on strengthening an emotional bond between the brand and its consumers in the long term, showing multiple Burberry Acoustic and Art of Trench videos. Burberry was interested in enhancing the quality of relationship with consumers, as it would increase the level of trust and satisfaction, and eventually result in the higher level of loyalty. In its turn, Topshop was more commercially-oriented, showing multiple videos of styling tutorials and garments from the collections in store. The brand was rather concerned with increasing in the level of satisfaction and achieving short-term goals such as creating a buzz around a new collection that would turn into immediate sales. As a result, Burberry was more successful than Topshop in terms of increasing the level of ‘passion’ and ‘immersion’, being able to evoke stronger feelings and emotions among the respondents but less successful in attracting customers to physical and online stores. However, a number of Burberry and Topshop respondents did not feel a strong connection with the brands, which might be partially explained by such factors as viral nature of video, abundance of video content and lack of high quality content videos. The findings of primary and secondary research also confirmed with certain reservations that the use of brand–created videos increased the level of trust, customer satisfaction and loyalty between the case studies and their consumers. Based on the concept of relationship quality (Holebeek, 2011b), the survey results showed that more than 50% of Burberry respondents felt more satisfied with Burberry’s activity, and about 20% started trusting the brand more than before watching videos (Figure 25). In contrast, more than 50% of Topshop respondents did not change their attitude towards the brand. Only 29% felt more satisfied with Topshop activity, and 16% started trusting the brand more than before. In the both cases, the level of customer satisfaction increased more than the level of trust. Nevertheless, there is no one opinion if trust is more important than satisfaction in retaining a customer. Some academics believe that trust promotes personal relationships between a brand and a consumer, and therefore builds stronger emotional bonds that go beyond utility and reliability (Hess and Story, 2005). The others argue that satisfaction is a stronger predictor for customer retention than trust (Ranaweera and Prabhu, 2003).

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When the respondents were asked directly if their desire to follow the brands’ online and offline activity increased, there results were more positive. About 60% of Burberry respondents expressed a desire to join the brand’s community after watching Burberry videos. In contrast, Topshop-created videos did not have a huge impact on the Topshop respondents, as 30% of them disagreed, 33% neither agreed, not disagreed, and only 37% agreed that their desire to follow Topshop’s on and offline activity increased. According to the interviewed Topshop representative, brand-created videos rather sought to give an insight into a brand, increasing consumer belief and brand popularity, than to increase trust. It is interesting to add that, despite the fact that the Burberry employees said that their videos had rather a short-term longevity due to their monthly abundance, Burberry-created videos appeared to have stronger effect on the survey respondents than the Topshop ones. This might be explained by higher quality of video content. However, the interviewees were not able to remember any particular Burberry videos except Burberry Acoustic. Overall, videos have power over consumers but it is difficult to determine the extent of influence of videos on relationship quality. Some interviewees stated that videos did not have a lasting effect on viewers in terms of building brand trust and loyalty, and were able to create only a short-term buzz around a brand, increasing the level of short-tem satisfaction. Yet, brand-created videos still is an influential tool due to its viral nature to reach millions of people all over the world and increase brand popularity. Highly engaged consumers are more willing to become brand ambassadors and to use their word of mouth (Chaffey and Smith, 2013). The results of the conducted research showed that both the case studies and the consumers were interested in co-creation of video content. Therefore, to certain extent, it might be argued that consumers who watch brand-created videos might potentially be participants of video co-creation. The use of this upper part of ‘ladder of engagement’ (Smith and Zook, 2011) might be more applicable for Topshop that is more active on Instagram than Burberry. The British high-street brand regularly posts videos there, promoting the garments from the new collections and giving styling tips to the audience. Topshop used Instagram even more often than YouTube during the observation period, 25 Instagram videos to 23 YouTube videos (Appendix 4). In comparison to Burberry, whose image is more controlled, Topshop has a more experimental image, which makes it more natural for the brand to implement co-creation in its IMC strategy. For instance, Topshop consumers could use Instagram to show how they incorporated the Topshop pieces into their wardrobe, and the best video tips would be included into the Topshop-created weekly styling videos. Indeed, 53

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Instagram was considered by the interviewees as one of the most suitable, affordable and user-friendly platforms for co-creation. Nevertheless, based on the information retrieved from the interview findings, similar to Burberry, Topshop is also careful in choosing people the brand work with. Therefore, it will take time for the British high-street brand to develop an appropriate working framework for co-creation if he decides to pursue it and to implement it into its digital marketing strategy. It is also vital to mention that, according to the survey results, the Topshop respondents were slightly less ready than the Burberry respondents to make ‘co-creation’ part of consumer-brand engagement. However, these results might be analysed with certain reservations due to a small size of sample and the fact that the level of consumer activity on Instagram for Topshop was higher than for Burberry during the observation period. 5.2

Conclusion

Overall, the findings of primary and secondary research confirmed the developed hypotheses with certain reservations and achieved the set aim to investigate to what extent brand-created online video serves a contributing factor in building consumer-brand engagement, based on the analysis of Burberry and Topshop. Therefore, it might be stressed that the findings of the current research showed that a literal replication of ‘matching pattern’ logic was conducted (Yin, 2009). First of all, the results of the research lead to the conclusion that the case studies aim to translate their core values through brand-created videos to strengthen emotional bonds between a brand and a consumer, as it serves the basis of relationships and demonstrates a consistent brand image. Moreover, using video content, both Burberry and Topshop seek to build a strong bond with their consumers through emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects of consumer-brand engagement. The findings show that Burberry managed to attain a relatively high level of connection with its consumers. Being an aspirational brand, Burberry is more interested in enhancing the quality of relationship with consumers through high quality content videos, as it would increase the level of trust and satisfaction, and eventually result in the higher level of loyalty. In its turn, high-street brands like Topshop, which aim to inspire consumers to incorporate the brand into their lifestyle, are rather concerned with increasing the level of satisfaction and achieving short-term goals such as creating a buzz around a new collection that would immediately turn into sales. As a result, despite having lower numbers regarding the level of connection, Topshop was more successful than Burberry in attracting customers to physical and online stores. However, Burberry and Topshop were not always able to build a strong bond with consumers through videos due to such factors as the abundance of 54

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monthly video content, the lack of high quality content videos and the viral nature of medium. In addition, the findings show that Burberry-created videos appear to have stronger effect in terms of trust and satisfaction on the survey respondents than the Topshop ones. However, the current study does not fully clarify the influence of video on relationship quality. On the one hand, the use of a strong narrative based-video video, which might be remembered for many years, might result in an increase in the level of trust and loyalty, but, on the other hand, a commercial video might create a short-term buzz around a brand, stimulating only a short-term increase in the level of satisfaction. Finally, these factors, as well as the empowerment of consumers, showed the potential of video co-creation as one of the competitive advantages for fashion brands, possibly leading to a new step up on the ‘ladder of engagement’ and building a stronger brand community. This sub-process of consumer-brand engagement might be especially beneficial for Topshop, which has already done a number of social campaigns with cocreation and is renowned for its experimental image. Overall, the current research demonstrated the importance of brand-created online video as a contributing factor in building consumer-brand engagement, whose potential is far from being fulfilled and fully acknowledged by fashion brands and consumers. 5.3 Managerial applications The results of the study might be applied with certain reservations to other fashion brands, which are interested in establishing a dialogue with a consumer through video content. The generalisation and reliability of the research was supported by the choice of mixedmethods strategy and deductive approach (Saunders et al., 2009). First of all, this study showed that it would be beneficial for both high-street and high end brands to consider consumer-brand engagement as an evolving process to be able to attract and retain their target market. Through video content, which more easily evoke emotions in people, fashion brands should seek to translate brand personality. In the longterm perspective, it might lead to the increase in the level of customer satisfaction, and consequently in the level of loyalty resulted in the growth of brand communities and sales. Therefore, the choice of video content and channels should be based on a brand personality among other influential factors. For instance, luxury brands aim to inspire their consumers, who are constantly constructing their identities and searching for ‘aspirational self’ (De Chernatony, 2010). Thus, it is important for them to produce inspirational high 55

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quality content YouTube videos, which tell stories that people can share and talk about. Yet Instagram and Vine might be important instruments to give the feeling of exclusivity via ‘behind-the-scenes’ videos and to bring the element of fun and surprise into consumerbrand relationships. In their turn, high-street brands are more interested in being incorporated into people’s everyday life. Therefore, they should find balance between Instagram/Vine and YouTube videos: creating both styling tutorials and in-store loops (commercial), and narrative-based (editorial) videos. Moreover, it would be beneficial for high-street brands to investigate the concept of co-creation, which might be positively implemented into their IMC strategy through the use of Instagram/Vine and strengthen the relationships with the highly engaged audience. This type of consumers is more likely to become strong brand advocates in the future. Both high end and high-street fashion brands should develop a working template, which allows them to attract creative consumers while still having control over brand image. 5.3

Limitations

This research had a number of limitations that needed to be taken into consideration while analysing the findings. The main restraints of the research are related to the time period analysed and availability of corporate data, which prevented the researcher from testing a consumer sample of larger size and from getting a better knowledge of the brands position regarding the medium of video in their marketing strategy. In addition, the analysis of only two case studies, Burberry and Topshop, might have questioned the level of reliability and generasibility, despite the application of the rigorous mixed-methods strategy and deductive approach in this study.

5.4

Suggestions for future research

The implications of the current study might lead to various suggestions for future research. First of all, future research might test a consumer sample of larger size to achieve more reliable and rigorous results. Secondly, it might also investigate separately high street and high-end brands in relation to the developed four hypotheses and the role of brandcreated videos in their IMC strategy. Indeed, the comparison of Topshop or Burberry video activity with other high-street and high end brands would help add the depth to the analysis of the role of brand-created videos in consumer-brand engagement and establish the similarities and differences in the processes within a concept of consumer-brand engagement for different categories of brands. Finally, due to the fact that the research is taking place in the era of empowered consumer, it would be beneficial to explore further the role of video co-creation in the IMC strategy of both high street and high-end brands. 56

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