Niche Brands: Understanding how niche fashion startups connect with Millennials

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dc.contributor.authorMandarino, Kahle
dc.date2023-05-17T15:21:15.000
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-22T23:11:03Z
dc.date.available2023-05-22T23:11:03Z
dc.date.issued2016-01-01
dc.date.submitted2016-08-10T09:52:22-07:00
dc.description.abstractPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate and understand how niche fashion startups brand toward Millennials. Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are becoming an important segment of the global population. Specifically, this study is designed to investigate if niche fashion brands successfully target and brand to Millennials consumers compared to mass-market brands on the following brand traits: brand self-congruency, perceived quality, brand prestige, brand loyalty, brand tribalism, and brand user image congruency. Design/methodology/approach –Two online surveys were conducted to compare Gap (mass- retailer) and Everlane (niche brand) on the seven brand components, and 46 valid surveys were collected. Findings – The study revealed that Everlane performed better than Gap on three branding elements (brand tribalism, brand user image congruency, and brand prestige suggesting that not only the Integrated Marketing Communications efforts taken by Everlane are targeting Millennials, but that through IMC, Everlane is crafting brand equity among the cohort. This study provides a model to study other Millennials and analyze the company against a comparable mass-market competitor. Research limitations/implications – Limitations for this study come from three sources: (1) the representativeness of the sample, (2) limited sampled brands, and (3) influence of other factors. Implications for brand managers, marketers, and retailers focus on strategies that influence the social and self-motivation for luxury consumption and level of brand consciousness. Originality/value – This research is unique and significant because it focuses on understanding the consumer behavior of Millennial consumers, an important segment in the market that is growing in market power. The study is the first to analyze new startups coined as ‘niche brands’ that are targeting Millennials and compare them to mass-market retailers.
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/37910
dc.legacy.articleid1016
dc.legacy.fulltexturlhttps://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=joseph_wharton_scholars&unstamped=1
dc.source.issue9
dc.source.journalJoseph Wharton Scholars
dc.source.statuspublished
dc.subject.otherMillennials
dc.subject.otherGeneration Y consumers
dc.subject.otherfashion
dc.subject.otherBrand consciousness
dc.subject.otherConsumption motivation
dc.subject.otherBrand influence
dc.subject.otherBrand loyalty
dc.subject.otherNiche brands
dc.subject.otherBusiness
dc.titleNiche Brands: Understanding how niche fashion startups connect with Millennials
dc.typeDissertation/Thesis
digcom.contributor.authorMandarino, Kahle
digcom.identifierjoseph_wharton_scholars/9
digcom.identifier.contextkey8957760
digcom.identifier.submissionpathjoseph_wharton_scholars/9
digcom.typethesis
dspace.entity.typePublication
upenn.schoolDepartmentCenterJoseph Wharton Scholars
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