Efficient social media marketing for sustainable fashion companies : Increasing interest and engagement on Instagram among millennial males by appealing to their values.

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify how social media, specifically Instagram can be used to encourage interest among the millennial male for sustainable fashion products. The study contributes to give marketing insights and a broader understanding of the millennial male’s online behaviour, so that fashion companies within the sustainable sector of the industry can benefit from these when broadening their target market. The findings are to contribute within the field of textile management. Design/method/approach: The study has used a model based on millennial male values that were connected to visual picture content. The model illustrates how the millennial male is influenced by several factors and values, ultimately determining which type of visual social media content that results in the most engagement and interest for sustainable products. The methods included posting visual content on two different channels on the Instagram profile of a sustainable fashion company aimed at mainly millennial males. Different kinds of engagement with the content was measured in order to determine which type of content was the most successful at encouraging interest among millennial males towards sustainable fashion products. Findings: The findings of this research show that pictures posted on both Instagram feed and Instagram stories with social and aesthetic, as well as close-up and detail content, are likely to perform well and encourage interaction and engagement on Instagram. The findings also show that production related pictures are not generating an interest from the millennial male. Moreover, in order to reach a wider audience with the content shared on Instagram stories and feed content need to be used simultaneously. These findings suggest that companies can encourage male millennials to purchase sustainable products by appealing to their values. Practical implications: The findings by this study are valuable for sustainable fashion companies that are looking for ways to improve their reach and engagement with millennial males. The findings of this value can also benefit marketers to improve their marketing strategy on Instagram. Originality/value: The findings show that Instagram can be used to reach out to a wide spread of Instagram users with an interest of sustainable fashion. Moreover, the findings suggest that companies can encourage sustainable fashion consumption through appealing to the values of their target market, using social media content. Keywords: Sustainable fashion, Social media marketing, millennial male, marketing, Instagram content for marketing Paper type: Research paper