Samenvatting

The purpose of this thesis report was to focus on the difference in effectivity between social
media and traditional marketing regarding the buying behaviour of Dutch youngsters (16-25)
for contemporary fashion brands. The objective of the research was to examine whether there
is actually a difference in effectivity between both marketing methods, since most fashion
brands are still investing their marketing budgets in both social media and traditional marketing
activities, without really knowing which of these platforms generates the highest effect among
youngsters and their buying behaviour. Furthermore, this study is intended to give fashion
brands a better understanding of their marketing decisions regarding youngsters’ buying
behaviour and to show what Dutch youngsters do consider as important and effective
marketing influences concerning their fashion purchases.
The research was framed in accordance with methods regarding theoretical desk research
and field research. The theoretical part of the research was obtained via existing literature,
academic articles and books related to fashion, marketing and consumer behaviour. Field
research was conducted to obtain new data and consisted of a survey among Dutch
youngsters, aged between 16 and 25 years old, and an interview with sportswear fashion label
Yekeke. The combination of both quantitative and qualitative research appeared to be valuable
for answering the research question.
Based on the results, it was found that social media are effective marketing tools for fashion
brands. These tools should therefore be embraced, each within their own specific marketing
activities aimed at younger target groups. Social media are widely used among Dutch
youngsters. Especially social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are
considered as effective and important marketing platforms. Moreover, in the thesis survey,
social media platforms of fashion brands were ranked as most important influencers regarding
the buying behaviour of Dutch youngsters in relation to fashion purchases, followed by word
of mouth. Furthermore, social media are instruments which give a voice to many Internet users
who can share experiences and opinions. Some 48% of the respondents to the thesis survey
admitted that social media advertisements give a voice to the audience and are more
interactive than traditional marketing advertisements. The respondents’ answers further
showed that Dutch youngsters do have an interest to follow a fashion brand to receive fashion
product information, get a discount or receive any free products. Though, they have no interest
to communicate with a fashion brand. Furthermore, the fact that women are stereotyped to be
the group that spends more on fashion products than men is incorrect. The thesis survey
showed that men do have higher fashion expenditures than women.
In addition, social media can be used to target smaller group of people, which makes it more
accessible and easier to identify the responses and reactions of consumers. Nevertheless,
traditional marketing is still being used among a variety of fashion brands. However, for fashion
brands it is considered as a less effective and profitable marketing investment than social
media. Traditional marketing is mainly considered as an offline media tool that widely spreads
information to the masses, requires significant advertising budgets, has a lower measurability
due to the limited one-to-many approach and the return on investment generated by the
traditional approach is lower. Therefore it can be concluded that social media is perceived as
a more effective marketing tool among Dutch youngsters’ buying behaviour for contemporary
fashion brands than the effectiveness of traditional marketing related activities. Although,
traditional marketing has not been completely abandoned by most fashion brands as it still has
the potential to influence youngsters’ buying behaviour. This is due to the fact that the thesis
survey showed that among Dutch youngsters television was considered to be the most
important traditional media type.
Finally, for fashion brands it is advised to encourage youngsters to communicate with fashion
brands by being attracted by store events, studio insights or any other form of interactive
activities offered by the brands. This would be a meaningful method to increase relationships
and popularity of the fashion brands. For further research it is advised to obtain a larger variety
of information regarding fashion brands and their marketing activities towards younger target
groups. It is recommended to have a clear overview of the differences in marketing decisions
the fashion brands are making, as it would be interesting to see the differences and usage of
effective or less effective marketing methods by various fashion brands. It is also advised to
have a closer look at the effectiveness of social media and traditional marketing on a global
scale, which will likely help to get a better understanding of marketing decisions by fashion
brands on a global scale.