Picturing luxury, producing value: The cultural labour of social media brand influencers in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehita Iqani

This article explores the cultural labour of social media influencers who market luxury brands on their Instagram profiles. Through an analysis of brand-relevant material posted by six social media ‘influencers’, this article provides insight into the aesthetic of their cultural labour. As context, a brief summary of literature on the concept of brand ambassadorship is offered alongside a discussion of critical scholarship that defines the work of social media influencers as a form of brand value creation. The article argues that there are three types of value creation evident in visuals created by the influencers: as attempts at celebritization, in telling the story of the brand, and as role of models of aspirational consumer-citizenship. It is argued that the visual work undertaken online by social media influencers contributes in significant ways to the production of the value of global brands, and that this should be contextualized within the unique socio-economic aspirations of consumers based in the global south.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehita Iqani

This article explores the role of social media promotions in the marketing of luxury, from the perspectives of both representatives of global brands and the local influencers contracted to promote them online. It provides insights into role of social media in marketing luxury in ‘new’ markets (African cities) and the complexities attendant to the relationship between brand representatives and influencers. It reports on in-depth interviews with brand representatives and social media influencers working in the luxury sector in large anglophone African cities. Empirical findings show the role of social media in how luxury is promoted by those working in the industry. Three key complexities to do with value, trust and authenticity were evident in how global brand representatives and local influencers discussed social media. In terms of value, influencers emphasize strategies for monetizing visibility, while brand managers emphasize the need to get their money’s worth. Regarding trust, influencers express caution about brands trying to exploit them, while brands express scepticism about the extent of influencer’s abilities. On the topic of authenticity, influencers emphasize how the integrity of their personal brands is paramount, while brand representatives are mostly concerned with how genuine the social media posts seem. The article provides original empirical details about the relationships between brand managers and social media influencers, as well as to the nuances of social media luxury marketing in African cities. It contributes to critical theories of branding practice in media economies of the global south.


Genealogy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Carlson ◽  
Tristan Kennedy

Social media is a highly valuable site for Indigenous people to express their identities and to engage with other Indigenous people, events, conversations, and debates. While the role of social media for Indigenous peoples is highly valued for public articulations of identity, it is not without peril. Drawing on the authors’ recent mixed-methods research in Australian Indigenous communities, this paper presents an insight into Indigenous peoples’ experiences of cultivating individual and collective identities on social media platforms. The findings suggest that Indigenous peoples are well aware of the intricacies of navigating a digital environment that exhibits persistent colonial attempts at the subjugation of Indigenous identities. We conclude that, while social media remains perilous, Indigenous people are harnessing online platforms for their own ends, for the reinforcement of selfhood, for identifying and being identified and, as a vehicle for humour and subversion.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Aytül HADIMLI ◽  
Ebru SERT ◽  
Birsen KARACA SAYDAM

Recent years with the widespread use of social media, the aesthetic perception of societies has started to change. People, with the desire to be liked, turn to plastic surgery with the importance they attach to physical appearance. Women's aesthetic genital surgery operations also show a parallel trend with this trend. Aesthetic surgery operations performed in the genital area are mostly designed and focused on sexual satisfaction and attractiveness. Among these procedures that do not have a medical indication, the most common ones are; labiaplasty, perineoplasty, vaginoplasty, hymenectomy and G-point amplification. Although the operations are performed by gynecology and plastic and reconstructive surgery specialists, pre-and postoperative care is provided to the patient by midwives and nurses. In this context, in this review, it is aimed to evaluate the counseling and care role of midwives and nurses with the Ex-PLISSIT Model, as well as the recommendations of international obstetrics and gynecology associations for genital aesthetic surgery operations and these operations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 1506-1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Frederik Lund ◽  
Caroline Scarles ◽  
Scott A. Cohen

Social media users are increasingly harming destination brands through their posts. This article examines how to counter brand co-destruction in social media through the application of storytelling practices. Based on a netnography of TripAdvisor and Facebook, combined with a case study of the Danish destination management organization (DMO) VisitDenmark, the article investigates the prospective ways in which social media users co-destroy the DMO’s brand. We demonstrate how value creation is a fluid process generated along a “brand value continuum,” as complex interplays between co-creation and co-destruction manifest through user-generated content. The article provides recommendations on how DMOs can counter co-destruction by using storytelling to influence perceptions and set agendas for user conversations that stimulate brand co-creation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-199
Author(s):  
Agnes Kovacs ◽  
Tamas Doczi ◽  
Dunja Antunovic

The Olympic Games are among the most followed events in the world, so athletes who participate there are exceptionally interesting for the media. This research investigated Olympians’ social media use, sport journalists’ attitudes about Olympians’ social media use, and the role of social media in the relationship between Olympians and sport journalists in Hungary. The findings suggest that most Hungarian Olympians do not think that being on social media is an exceptionally key issue in their life, and a significant portion of them do not have public social media pages. However, sport journalists would like to see more information about athletes on social media platforms. The Hungarian case offers not only a general understanding of the athlete–journalist relationship, and the role of social media in it, but also insight into the specific features of the phenomenon in a state-supported, hybrid sport economy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moriah Meyskens ◽  
Lacy Bird

AbstractSocial ventures like other entrepreneurial endeavors often have difficulty in seeking financing. This study assesses the role of crowdfunding in social venture funding. We provide insight into crowdfunding types and platforms and social value creation. Then we offer a theoretical framework to help social ventures and social investors best choose which type of crowdfunding (reward, donation, equity, debt) might make most sense to them given their economic and social value creation goals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Cuomo ◽  
Pantea Foroudi ◽  
Debora Tortora ◽  
Shahzeb Hussain ◽  
T.C. Melewar

Taking into consideration the increasing role of sustainability in the luxury industry, our study investigates the role of celebrity credibility, celebrity familiarity, luxury brand value, and brand sustainability awareness on attitude towards celebrity, brand, and purchase intention for sustainable consumption. For this, we explored relationships among these variables to test a conceptual model which is developed using existing knowledge available in academic research on this topic. Data for testing were collected from high-end retail stores in the UK about the world top luxury brands by brand value in 2019, also acknowledged for their major engagement in sustainability. Findings from a survey of 514 consumers suggest that celebrity credibility is a very strong key to increasing purchase intentions of sustainable luxury goods. The study has important implications for the expansion of current literature, theory development and business practices. Limitations of the study are also outlined, and directions for future research are considered too.


2018 ◽  
pp. 246-265
Author(s):  
Rebecca Liu ◽  
Aysegul Eda Kop

This chapter contributes to a better understanding of the role of social media in the NPD process and a debate about the impact of social media on NPD success. Through a critical literature review, this chapter provides an insight into the impact of social media on incremental NPD and its contribution to NPD success, in the context of customer involvement. The review is mainly derived from 286 relevant papers published in top-ranked journals between 2005 and 2014. The results suggest that while social media provides an effective and efficient method for collecting information and knowledge about customers' expectations and experiences, it does not necessarily always lead to NPD success. The study shows that hidden customer needs, an advanced evaluation tool, the huge amount of information and a firm's absorptive capacity challenge the use of social media.


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