Extreme Branding: Examining Brand Devotion of Fashion Companies by Customers Using Social Media

Abstract

This paper looks at how social media is used as part of company branding to encourage customer loyalty. The research presents a case study of lululemon andIts Facebook page and customer product review page to illustrate the importance of social media, using content analysis to interpret the data gathered. The case study shows evidence that a brand community exists on lululemon’s Facebook page, illustrating the importance of social media to customers. The paper concludes that because customers have a high level of involvement in social media, companies would benefit from maintaining a high level of involvement in that same media. The Paper suggests that further research could determine whether the involvement of companies via social media does affect their level of loyalty.

The Analysis of the Marketing Strategy of Lululemon Athletica

“…lululemon understands the important role social media can play in customer loyalty and uses social media to embolden it [6][7]. Lululemon has used the concept of the "ambassador", who provides sample workouts and active imagery, on social media.…”

“…In addition to these, lululemon is very active on Facebook to communicate with users. They try to engage their customers, for example by actively soliciting their feedback when responding to customer posts, although it remains to be seen whether lululemon takes these suggestions into account [7]. However, this still plays a positive role in encouraging customers to believe in this brand.…”