<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Amassing an audience by blogging is a very recent form of online consumer behavior. 
Consumers not only seek community as earlier studies show, they also look for taste leadership from certain peers Fashion bloggers take hold of the Internet “megaphone” to broadcast and influence taste within an elaborate social and cultural process. It teaches us some general principles about the ways professional marketing is affected by these “citizen journalists” on social media, and how their behavior is affected by marketers. These megaphone-holding consumers have real power, and their consumer-to-consumer relationships depend upon brands. Brands are increasingly coming to depend upon them as well. Although these bloggers started out as ordinary consumers, they were soon integrated into the professional fashion system and do not oppose it. They therefore pose no threat to professional marketers, but rather offeran alternative marketing opportunity within the complex web of social media.
</p>
</abstract>

Amassing an audience by blogging is a very recent form of online consumer behavior. 
Consumers not only seek community as earlier studies show, they also look for taste leadership from certain peers Fashion bloggers take hold of the Internet “megaphone” to broadcast and influence taste within an elaborate social and cultural process. It teaches us some general principles about the ways professional marketing is affected by these “citizen journalists” on social media, and how their behavior is affected by marketers. These megaphone-holding consumers have real power, and their consumer-to-consumer relationships depend upon brands. Brands are increasingly coming to depend upon them as well. Although these bloggers started out as ordinary consumers, they were soon integrated into the professional fashion system and do not oppose it. They therefore pose no threat to professional marketers, but rather offeran alternative marketing opportunity within the complex web of social media.

The Megaphone Effect in Social Media: How Ordinary Consumers Become Style Leaders

Professor of Marketing, Santa Clara University, USA

Rawlco Scholar in Advertising, Professor of Marketing, University of Saskatchewan,

NIM Marketing Intelligence Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Amassing an audience by blogging is a very recent form of online consumer behavior. 
Consumers not only seek community as earlier studies show, they also look...

The Megaphone Effect in Social Media: How Ordinary Consumers Become Style Leaders

Published Online: Nov 04, 2014

Page range: 16 - 20

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/gfkmir-2014-0092

Keywords
Blog, Consumption, Consumer Culture, Social Brand Engagement, Fashion, Cultural Capital

© 2014

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Megaphone Effect in Social Media: How Ordinary Consumers Become Style Leaders

Published Online: Nov 04, 2014

Page range: 16 - 20

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/gfkmir-2014-0092

KeywordsBlog, Consumption, Consumer Culture, Social Brand Engagement, Fashion, Cultural Capital

© 2014

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Blog, Consumption, Consumer Culture, Social Brand Engagement, Fashion, Cultural Capital