Received: 16 January 2019 Revised: 11 August 2019 Accepted: 26 August 2019

DOI: 10.1002/cb.1780

SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLE

Taking sustainable fashion mainstream: Social media and the

institutional celebrity entrepreneur

Carolyn McKeown | Linda Shearer

Department of Fashion, Marketing, Tourism

and Events, Glasgow Caledonian University, Abstract
Glasgow, UK There is a growing imperative to address the negative environmental impact of
Correspondence fashion and an increased awareness of sustainability issues: the sustainable fashion
Linda Shearer, Department of Fashion, concept (SFC). However, while consumers are becoming more aware and concerned
Marketing, Tourism and Events, Glasgow
Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, about sustainability, this is not resulting in the purchase of sustainable fashion prod-
Glasgow G4 0BA, Scotland, UK. ucts in preference to “mainstream” goods. This so‐called attitude–behaviour gap is
Email: L.Shearer@gcu.ac.uk
well documented in academic literature, and yet there is a lack of research into poten-
tial methods of disrupting this phenomenon. This study seeks to redress this by exam-
ining the potential influence of celebrity institutional entrepreneurs (CIEs) to raise
awareness of the SFC and to therefore guide and change consumer behaviour
towards more sustainable practice. CIEs are celebrities who use their social position
to espouse their values with the intention of influencing institutional habits and
behaviours. In this case, Emma Watson is identified as an appropriate and credible
proponent, and her @the_press_tour Instagram account was used to examine her
influence. A netnographic investigation of this account was conducted in combination
with eight in‐depth interviews with account followers to examine attitudes and
actions towards sustainable fashion. Findings showed that the account had partial
impact on consumer engagement with the SFC in that it led to the participants being
more likely to discuss and consider the issues around sustainable fashion; however, it
had no significant impact on purchases of sustainable fashion. The study concludes
that CIEs can impact the attitudes of mainstream consumers towards sustainable
fashion; however, further research is required to determine any long‐term influence.

1 | I N T RO D U CT I O N (Kong, Ko, Chae, & Mattila, 2016). This disparity, known as the “atti-
tude–behaviour” gap, has received much research attention as it is
The sustainable fashion concept (SFC) is associated with fair working recognised that sustainable practices need to become mainstream
conditions, a sustainable business model, organic and environmentally and to be adopted industry‐wide (McNeill & Moore, 2015). Despite
friendly materials, certifications, and traceability and has emerged in this imperative, there is limited extant research that focuses on inter-
response to growing awareness and concern about the negative, envi- ventions that may encourage consumers to choose sustainable fashion
ronmental and human impact of the global fashion industry (SF) in preference to other options.
(Henninger, Alevizou, & Oates, 2016). Consumers can play a signifi- Social media (SM) is a key means of raising awareness of global
cant role in altering industry standards and engaging with the SFC issues (Strähle & Gräff, 2016) and a way through which consumers
could foster industry change (Hopkinson & Cronin, 2015). However, can affect industry norms (Hopkinson & Cronin, 2015). However, a
although consumer awareness and concern about the SFC is growing, review of SM research by Kapoor et al. (2018) did not identify any
this does not correlate to sustainable behaviours in consumption studies of consumer behaviour that considered the use of SM to

406 © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cb J Consumer Behav. 2019;18:406–414.
MCKEOWN AND SHEARER 407

impact broader institutional awareness and behaviours related to the attractiveness of the celebrity as being the most important attribute
SFC. This study therefore considers the potential of SM as a conduit for successful endorsement (Carroll, 2008). However, although this
to impact institutional change and to lead to increased SF behaviours. may play a role in gaining initial consumer attention (Poghosyan,
In particular, it aimed to explore the ability of SM influencers, in this 2015), endorsement effectiveness is dependent upon the perceived
case, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, to effect expertise and trustworthiness of the celebrity (Byrne, Whitehead, &
a “societal change” in relation to awareness of the SFC and, in so Breen, 2003; Carroll, 2008) with the most successful campaigns
doing, to encourage mainstream, sustainable consumption practices. resulting from high credibility owing to close endorser–brand congru-
In this context, the mainstream consumer is a person whose fashion ity (Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017; Kang & Choi, 2016; Poghosyan,
purchases and interests are commonly accepted and to whom con- 2015). Thus, celebrity endorsement of sustainable products is likely
cerns about sustainability in fashion may be more “fleeting and less to be effective when the endorser is considered to be trustworthy,
central” than those for whom it is an “enduring aspect of their iden- genuinely ethical, and a close match to the sustainable brand (Kang
tity” (Hopkinson & Cronin, 2015, p. 31). & Choi, 2016), such is the case with Watson's credibility. Further,
Watson is a vocal proponent of SF, has significant global reach, and noncommercialised motivations are more likely to result in positive
is committed to wearing only ethical fashion at public events with the perceptions and favourable attitudes within SM communities through
aim of spreading awareness and changing perceptions of the SFC sharing and engagement of the cognitive, affective, and behavioural
amongst her SM followers. Her credibility is further ensured by refusal (or conative) elements that shape subjective norms (Shareef, Mukerji,
to take payment for endorsing any of the brands or products she fea- Alryalat, Wright, & Dwivedi, 2018). Therefore, as the focus of
tures, and this expression of integrity identifies her as an authentic Watson's SM message is on context (sustainability) rather than con-
and honest source of influence (Audrezet, de Kerviler, & Guidry, tent (brand or product), this should positively impact attitudes towards
2018). As such, Watson may be defined as a celebrity institutional SF. However, the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980)
entrepreneur (CIE): “an actor who attempts to act on their dissatisfac- identifies that favourable attitudes and intentions do not necessarily
tion with some aspects of the status quo and use their resources, exper- convert to positive behaviours, and this can be evidenced in the
tise, and social position to lead change” (Hopkinson & Cronin, 2015, p. apparent discrepancy between consumer attitudes and sustainable
1385). Watson's @the_press_tour Instagram account was therefore consumption behaviours—the “attitude–behaviour” gap (Kong et al.,
adopted in this research as a case study through which to examine the 2016).
following assumptions: first, that CIEs could positively impact the SFC
by raising awareness of issues; second, that an increased awareness
would likely to result in a greater level of consumer engagement in rela- 2.2 | The attitude–behaviour gap
tion to the SFC; and third, that this awareness and engagement would,
in turn, result in a shift of purchasing behaviours towards choosing SF The “attitude–behaviour” gap in SF refers to a phenomenon whereby
goods in preference to nonsustainable options. consumers who profess to have strong environmental or ethical values
do not translate these into purchases of SF products (McNeill &
Moore, 2015; Perry & Chung, 2016). Although this gap exists for eth-
2 | T HE O R E T I CA L B A CK GR O U N D ical products generally, it is more pronounced in the uptake of sustain-
able clothing (Gam, 2011). Consumers perceive SF to lack the
2.1 | Institutional entrepreneurship standards of “mainstream” alternatives in relation to price, design, fit,
and ease of purchase (Carrigan & Attalla, 2001; Solomon & Rabolt,
As the aim of this study was to explore mainstream “institutional” 2008) and will not buy solely on ethical credentials (McNeill & Moore,
behaviours rather than focus on specific brands or consumer seg- 2015; Perry & Chung, 2016). As the tangible aspects alone of SF
ments, it was considered appropriate to adopt the concept of the goods are not sufficient to compete with “mainstream” apparel, the
CIE and to position the research within “institutional theory”. Institu- decision‐making process requires additional elements to influence
tional theory considers the processes by which structures, including and shape subjective norms and potentially impact behaviours.
schemes, rules, norms, and routines, become established as authorita- The “theory of planned behaviour” (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) can be
tive guidelines for social behaviour (Hopkinson & Cronin, 2015; Wahid applied to examine the social influence affecting these other elements
& Sein, 2013) and posits that long‐term change occurs through the that comprise attitudes, values, emotions, and concern for the per-
linked actions of organisations and consumers, with CIEs having the ceived judgement of others. Those who are positively predisposed
ability to rally and inspire the mainstream consumer and contribute towards ethical purchase behaviour will have correspondingly positive
to institutional change (Scaraboto & Fischer, 2013; Wahid & Sein, values, emotions, intentions, and knowledge of sustainability issues
2013). and will therefore be more likely to engage in sustainable practice
Successful celebrity endorsement of traditional products requires a (Cowan & Kinley, 2014). Further, social and environmental concerns
close match between celebrity and brand, with the aim of encouraging may be intrinsic to the individual's self‐concept and also relate directly
purchase (Poghosyan, 2015), and the source attractiveness model has to sustainable purchase decision making and behaviours (Cowan &
played a prominent role in “match‐up theory,” which identifies the Kinley, 2014). Correspondingly, a lack of knowledge of the SFC and
408 MCKEOWN AND SHEARER

eco‐fashion products will result in nonpurchasing behaviour; in other fashion consumption behaviours. Institutional theory has rarely been
words, a gap in knowledge of sustainability will result in a lack of pur- applied to the fashion industry and has not, to our knowledge, been
chase of sustainable goods (Birtwistle & Moore, 2007; Gam, 2011; considered in the context of mainstream adoption of SF practice
Kong et al., 2016; McNeill & Moore, 2015; Song & Ko, 2014). How- amongst consumers and the industry. Additionally, a novel, qualitative
ever, where the social norm is towards sustainable concerns and eth- approach is adopted to examine online Instagram engagement
ical practice, the TPB can be applied to suggest that the impact of resulting in recommendations to address ongoing barriers to SF
social interaction will result in increased social pressure towards sus- behaviours.
tainable consumption. Therefore, the impact of the CIE in changing
social perception will potentially result in greater awareness of the
SFC and an increase in sustainable purchase behaviours as a result
3.2 | Methodology
of consumer engagement in SM communities (in this case, Watson's
As no previous research had been carried out on the impact of CIEs in
Instagram account).
regard to the SFC, this study was exploratory in nature. Focusing on
Watson's @the_press_tour Instagram account, a netnographic meth-
2.3 | Consumer engagement odology was adopted, defined by Kozinets (2012, p. 62), as a “qualita-
tive research methodology that adapts ethnographic research
Consumer engagement indicates a state of connectedness between techniques to the study of cultures and communities emerging
consumer and brand (Calder & Malthouse, 2008) and “reflects a moti- through electronic networks.” This included the collection of archival
vational state” (Hollebeek, Glynn, & Brodie, 2014, p. 150). Customer data from @the_press_tour and from qualitative interviews with self‐
cocreation, including participating in electronic‐word‐of‐mouth, rec- identified “mainstream followers.” Netnography is a flexible qualitative
ommendations and referrals, asking questions and giving responses method that offers marketers an insight into consumer behaviour and
on online community forums, could be taken as measures of deeper can be enhanced by taking an active participatory approach (Costello,
consumer engagement (van Doorn et al., 2010) and are “measureable” McDermott, & Wallace, 2017; Heinonen & Medberg, 2018). This sin-
via the number of “likes” and “comments” on Instagram posts (De gle case study, involving both passive and active netnographic
Vries, Gensler, & Leeflang, 2012). Consumer engagement studies are approaches, is in keeping with previous netnographic research on
typically brand focused (Hollebeek et al., 2014) and have identified other topics (Ewing, Wagstaff, & Powell, 2013; Gurrieri & Cherrier,
that engagement adds brand value, loyalty, and trust amongst mem- 2013; Wilkinson & Patterson, 2010). This mixed methodology facili-
bers of the community (Connell, Marciniak, Carey, & Mccoll, 2019; tated an in‐depth understanding not only of online engagement but
Kamboj, Sarmah, Guptac, & Dwivedi, 2017). By extending this premise also of the offline impact of CIEs on mainstream consumers' attitudes
to wider institutional concerns, SM platforms have the potential to towards SF, and is in accordance with the quality criteria for
facilitate consumer engagement with CIEs who can galvanise and netnographic research established by Kozinets (2012).
inspire the mainstream consumer towards more sustainable behav-
iours. Therefore, an initial measure of the success or failure of CIEs
to stimulate consumer demand for institutional change is an increase 3.3 | Data collection
in consumer engagement with the SFC.
A four‐step mixed approach was adopted for data collection beginning
with a passive, observational phase then moving to an active, direct
3 | RESEARCH APPROACH interaction with the online community. Step 1: Prior to contacting
potential interview participants, 2 weeks were spent casually observ-
3.1 | Research gap and implications ing the account, the content of posts and interaction of followers. This
process of acculturation allowed for familiarisation with the terminol-
The general consensus of extant literature is that a lack of knowledge ogy, languages and “netiquette” used within the account and to form
about sustainable fashion brands and products is amongst the most initial impressions on how to best approach participants and conduct
significant barrier to overcoming the attitude–behaviour gap. Celebrity the study (Langer & Beckman, 2005). Step 2: Adhering to practices laid
endorsement is a popular communication tool used by companies to out by Wilkinson and Patterson (2010) and to embed the researcher
increase consumer knowledge about, and interest in, their brand and within the community, disclosure of the study and limited details of
products and has been suggested as a way to overcome the atti- researcher identity, academic affiliation, and the nature of the
tude–behaviour gap and increase purchase of SF (de Vries et al., research project were revealed on the personal Instagram profile so
2012; Hollebeek et al., 2014). However, endorsement campaigns are as not to deceive community members. Step 3: Archival data were col-
brand specific and therefore unlikely to have a widespread impact lected from the comments section of 31 posts on the account during a
on the uptake of sustainability in the fashion industry. The present 4‐month period and analysed to monitor engagement with the SFC
study therefore extends this context by applying institutional theory over this period. Comments and “emoticons” were captured exactly
to consider the potential for CIEs to effect institutional change in as they appeared in order to provide further insight into attitudes of
regard to SFC, thus contributing new insight relevant to sustainable commentators (Markham, 2004; Wilkinson & Patterson, 2010). Step
MCKEOWN AND SHEARER 409

4: Contact was made with followers of the account who were initially their awareness due to following the account (“It was only through
provided with information about the study and asked a series of eligi- this account that I even realised that more people were doing it”—
bility questions that determined if they were a mainstream consumer P1); therefore, it had a positive effect on awareness of the SFC con-
of fashion for whom sustainability was not a key component of their cept regardless of their prior level of awareness.
identity. From this, a purposive sample of eight was identified for
interview. Purposive sampling is acknowledged as suitable for
netnographic studies, allowing the inclusion of otherwise hard‐to‐ 4.2 | Knowledge about sustainable fashion options
reach groups (Costello et al., 2017). Each interview lasted between
45 and 60 min and was conducted through computer‐assisted viewing Prior to following @the_press_tour, P4–P8 perceived SF to be unat-
to simulate face‐to‐face interviewing (Kozinets, 2012). The audio of tractive; “bland […] isn't attractive (P8), whereas those with the highest
each interview was recorded and subsequently transcribed. In accor- initial interest in SF (P1‐3) lacked these preconceptions, instead relat-
dance with Kozinets' (2012) guide to ethical netnography, the identity ing their prior knowledge of SF to high‐end designers ‘Stella
of participants remained anonymous and informed consent was McCartney’ ” (P1 + P3) and popular high street collections (“I liked it
obtained from all interviewees prior to interview. when Topshop did their Made in England collections”—P2) confirming
that they were already aware that SF could be attractive prior to fol-
lowing the account.
3.4 | Data analysis
In following the account, P4, P6–P8 stated that it had changed
A three‐step approach was applied for the analysis. First, data col- their previous perceptions of SF being unattractive; “I've realized
lected from the 31 archival posts were analysed for content (number how pretty sustainable fashion can be and it's gotten out of my head
of views, likes, comments, and post context) to provide an overview this idea of sustainable fashion being unattractive” (P8). This supports
of the account and the activity relating to it. Second, a thematic anal- McNeill and Moore (2015) and Perry and Chung (2016) that a lack of
ysis of comments from three selected posts (from the beginning, mid- knowledge about SF creates a perception that it is unattractive; partic-
point, and most recent points of the campaign) was conducted, ipants with the highest prior knowledge did not hold this view,
resulting in the identification of two overarching themes: (a) engaging whereas those who were less informed, did. Consumer perception of
with sustainability and (b) engaging with Watson as an individual. SF as unattractive is a major barrier to purchase (McNeill & Moore,
Third, inductive and deductive approaches to thematic analysis (Braun, 2015; Perry & Chung, 2016), and for the participants who held this
Clarke, & Gray, 2017), which combined insights from the literature perception, exposure to Watson's account increased their knowledge
with themes emerging from participants' own narratives, were used and changed this perception, thus removing this particular barrier to
to analyse the interview data. The findings presented below reflect SF purchase.
the main themes identified across both archival and interview data Prior to following the account P1–P4 knew of at least one SF
analysis relating to (a) awareness of SFC; (b) knowledge about SF brand and a small number of “eco” collections from mainstream
options; (c) engagement with SFC; (d) consumption practices; and (e) brands. The same five brands were mentioned by all of these partici-
endorser–brand congruity. pants, indicating a limited knowledge of other such available brands.
However, breadth of brand awareness did increase while following
@the_press_tour, which participants attribute directly to the account:
4 | RESULTS AND DISCUSSION “It's brought me to brands I never would have went to” (P1). P1–P3
reported that they enjoyed and usually read the full information cap-
4.1 | Awareness of the SFC tion on the posts, whereas P4 read only the section of the caption
relating to her favourite product; this reduced reading does not appear
The ability of the @the_press_tour account to increase awareness of to have had an impact on increased knowledge.
the SFC was a crucial measurement of Watson's success as a CIE. Par- P5–P8, who had low or no prior awareness of SF, knew of no SF
ticipant prior awareness of the SFC was mixed. Those with the highest brands prior to following the account and its impact on their knowl-
prior awareness of environmental and social impacts of fashion had edge of sustainable brands was mixed. P5's knowledge increased to
either professional experience in the fashion or makeup industries the extent that she could discuss several brands; “it's a space that I
(P1, P3, and P4) or who practised veganism (P2). P5 and P6 had low can discuss when previously I probably wouldn't have been able to,”
level awareness that SF products existed, whereas P7 and P8 had and P8 felt similarly. Both read at least a part of the text caption on
none; “I didn't realise it was a thing” (P7). All participants reported an posts detailing the sustainable information about the products, but
increased awareness while following the account but relative to their P5 was unlikely to read any caption “longer than the length of my
initial level, this appears to have been most significant for P7 and screen” and P8 read the section relating to whichever aspect of the
P8, who had no prior awareness: “I didn't even know what it was until outfit she liked best. Both enjoyed the information and felt it was
she […] started posting about it” (P7); “people like me wouldn't have important to their engagement with the account.
thought about sustainable fashion […] without her advertising it” In contrast, P7 usually read the caption, however twice stated that
(P8). Participants with higher prior awareness reported an increase in the information “may not sink in,” and P6 did not generally read the
410 MCKEOWN AND SHEARER

captions at all. Both felt that the information was not important to No participant reported having commented on any post and rarely
their enjoyment of the account and neither reported an increased commented on any Instagram post, particularly those from celebrities;
knowledge of sustainable brands; “not that I can recall no” (P6). It is “never […] I would never say […] ‘I love your dress’ or anything like
possible to infer that participants who actively enjoyed reading all or that. I just wouldn't do that [on a celebrity post]” (P3). Contrary to
part of the caption information gained substantially more knowledge the findings of de Vries et al. (2012), comments on Instagram posts
about sustainable brands than those who did not. may not be valuable indicators of engagement. No participant used
It is interesting to note that P8, who, like P6 and P7 had no prior this function in regard to the account, and rarely in any context; this
awareness of the SFC or SF brands, gained increased knowledge being reserved for “people who are just crazy when it comes to fol-
about brands, whereas the other two did not. In addition to reading lowing celebrities, liking all their posts, commenting constantly on
and enjoying the captions, P8 also used Instagram as a tool for fashion their posts” (P7). This somewhat reflects the archival data, as the per-
inspiration and shopping “it's a good source of inspiration,” whereas centage of comments expressing “love” for Watson was significantly
P6 and P7 did not; “Instagram for me is not set up as very accessible higher than the proportion referring to sustainability. Though this pro-
for purchasing” (P6). It can be inferred that the purpose for which fol- portion increased over time, the actual number fell dramatically, from
lowers use the Instagram app could also influence how much informa- 317 in post 1 commenting about “love” for Watson, to only 65 in post
tion about brands they absorb from posts; however, further study is 31; 40 of which were posted by the same person. Therefore, those
required to examine this. Overall, the @the_press_tour account who comment are perhaps in the minority of overall users and may
increased knowledge about sustainable brands and products for par- represent a “loud” yet small proportion of all account followers.
ticipants with prior awareness of the SFC and for those who read For some, engaging with the celebrity may be more important than
and enjoyed the text accompanying the visual posts. However, it had engaging with the concept that the CIE is advocating (Hopkinson &
no impact on those who did not read and enjoy the posts and had Cronin, 2015; Lim & Moufahim, 2015). This was particularly true for
no prior SF awareness. P6, who did not generally read the post captions but did check to
see Watson's location; “the only piece that impacts my enjoyment is
I usually check to see where she is.” Strong follower interest in
Watson's location was also apparent in the general archival data col-
4.3 | Engagement with the SFC lected. The three posts with the highest number of “likes” and com-
ments all mentioned the city that Watson was in and did not
Consumer engagement is thought to heighten consumer brand loyalty, mention sustainability until later in the caption. Conversely, the four
leading to brand referrals to other potential consumers and eventually posts with the lowest number of “likes” and comments referred only
sales growth (Hollebeek et al., 2014). In parallel, this study sought to to the SFC. This indicates that the account followers may engage more
evaluate the impact of the account on engagement with the SFC with Watson than with the SFC. However, in every post, the number
amongst mainstream followers to examine whether or not an increase of comments is significantly less than the number of “likes.” In line
in engagement has the potential to encourage more sustainable con- with assertions that they rarely, if ever, comment on celebrity posts
sumption and, in turn, influence others to do so, thus taking steps yet do “like” them, there may be support for P7's belief that those
towards making SF practice more mainstream. In line with de Vries who comment on the posts do not accurately reflect the ordinary fol-
et al. (2012) that the number of “likes” and comments on Instagram lower's engagement.
posts are indicators of engagement, participants were questioned on Word‐of‐mouth (WOM) referrals are often influential in consumer
their “liking” and commenting habits. Archival data on the number of decision making due to the trust consumers place on the opinion of their
likes and comments per post and in‐depth analysis of the first, 16th, peers, and the discussion of a brand is considered to be an act of
and 31st post comments were also gathered. Other than P7, all inter- engagement (Sen & Lerman, 2007). While following @the_press_tour,
viewees used the “like” feature on Instagram to engage with the all but one of the participants engaged in WOM about the account with
@the_press_tour account, but only half of them used it as a tool to co‐workers, family, or friends; “I discussed [the brands] with my sister”
engage with the SFC. P7 did not “like” any post; however, this was (P8). Half engaged in WOM specifically about the SFC; “talk mostly
due to how she used the Instagram app and is not necessarily a reflec- about the fabric and what makes it sustainable, instead of the actual
tion of her enjoyment of the posts “I use my likes sparingly … to my fashion itself” (P1).
friends.” The visual appeal of the post was the most important consid- Engagement differed depending on how much effort was required
eration for all other participants when deciding to “like” (“how the for each type of engagement and the participants' previous level of
clothing looked and how attractive it was”—P8). P2, P3, and P5 were interest in the concept. Participants were asked if they had followed a
the only participants for whom the caption content was also a factor sustainable fashion brand on Instagram or visited its website after see-
in “liking” the post; “it's a combination of the clothes and the message ing it featured on @the_press_tour. The additional effort on the part of
behind it” (P2). For P1, the caption was not a determining factor for the participant to perform these actions was taken as a sign of engage-
“liking” the posts; instead, she “liked” posts to “use it as a marker” to ment with the SFC (Erkan, 2015) and potentially having a long‐term
return to later and look up more information on the featured sustain- impact. P1, P3–P5, and P8 followed at least one SF brand after finding
able brands. out about them, but only P1, P3, and P8 visited the brands' websites; “I
MCKEOWN AND SHEARER 411

went onto that EDUN [website], to try to look for trousers, they're websites or discussing it with friends; and had previously purchased
really nice ones […] I've done it with 3 or 4 things actually” (P1). The SF. These results provide some support for McNeill and Moore's
three participants who were not inspired by the account to follow any (2015) argument that increasing knowledge and awareness of the
sustainable brands, reported that they follow few, if any, fashion brands SFC can lead to greater SF purchasing, but only for people with high
on Instagram. Therefore, this may not be a sign of lower engagement, initial concern for social and environmental well‐being.
rather a reflection of how they use the app. As P1 and P3 had higher
prior awareness of SF, as well as professional experience in the fashion
4.5 | Endorser–brand congruity
and makeup industries, it was not unexpected that their engagement
would extend to visiting a brand website for more product information. It became clear that Watson herself was the crucial component of the
It was surprising that P8 took this step due to her lack of prior aware- @the_press_tour account, without whom it would have been unable
ness; however, this may be explained by her use of the Instagram app to impact followers' awareness, knowledge, engagement, and perhaps
as a shopping and fashion inspiration tool, perhaps making her more purchases; “if it was someone else you wouldn't connect with it so
likely to visit brand websites in general. much” (P1). P2 and P3 both used reality TV star Kim Kardashian as a
comparison: “Someone like Kim Kardashian […] no one would care
[…] but because it was a credible person it became a bigger deal”
4.4 | Consumption practices (P7). Supporting the source credibility model (Kang & Choi, 2016), this
indicates that the account would be less impactful if it was associated
Encouraging consumers to purchase SF is critical as it supports a with a celebrity less congruent with the SFC than Watson. However,
growing niche industry and sends a message to mainstream retailers although all participants perceived Watson to be a trustworthy and
that SF is important to consumers, potentially leading to industry credible endorser of SF, only three (P4, P6, and P8) considered her
change (Hopkinson & Cronin, 2015). Prior to following the account, to be an expert. Contrary to existing research, which presents the per-
P1–P5 had purchased SF before (“I got stuff from People Tree”—P2) ception of the “expert” celebrity as a key factor in endorser effective-
and had some prior awareness of the SFC, suggesting that awareness ness (Byrne et al., 2003; Carroll, 2008), this did not hamper the
of the need for SF is linked to its purchase. perception of her as being appropriate for SF, as she was perceived
This is supported by P6–P8 who had no prior awareness and had to have a “higher level of knowledge than the average person” (P7).
never purchased SF (“I don't think so no”—P7). However, none of
the participants regularly purchased SF and did not do so while follow-
ing the account. Aside from the lack of visibility and advertising, a bar- 5 | DISCUSSION
rier to purchase was the perceived high cost of SF with all participants
reporting that these products were not accessible to them; “they come 5.1 | General discussion
across as inaccessible to people, their price point being quite removed
from the average clothing shopper” (P2). Every participant stated that The aim of this study was to investigate whether CIEs can impact the
style, fit, and price were the primary concerns when purchasing, with attitudes and actions of mainstream consumers towards SF. In conclu-
sustainability an added bonus for which they might be willing to pay sion, the @the_press_tour account had a positive effect on awareness
slightly, but not significantly, more; “does it fit, how much is it, […] of the SFC, which is the first step in closing the attitude–behaviour
does it look good on me […] it's a bonus if it's made in Britain or it gap (Kong et al., 2016). As cognitive values were positively affected
was recycled or something like that but if it doesn't fit then I wouldn't by the account, it can be posited that repeated and increased expo-
buy it so that has to be the main consideration” (P3); “it's a selling sure to sustainable concepts within SM communities will lead to a pre-
point but it's not a big selling point, like I wouldn't get it if it was miss- vailing norm that predisposes sustainable practice. Additionally, the
ing a lot of the other things” (P1). The universality of this in each inter- socially descriptive values of Watson's posts are reinforced and pro-
view lends support to generally accepted theory that consumers will mulgated by consumer engagement with the account (indicated by
only purchase SF products if they are similar to mainstream products the use of likes/loves/comments—the symbolic indicators of the social
in terms of style, fit, price, and ease of purchase (Carrigan & Attalla, injunctive) and therefore further reinforce attitudes and behaviours
2001; McNeill & Moore, 2015; Perry & Chung, 2016). towards the sustainable imperative. Additionally, the account was suc-
The @the_press_tour account, however, did somewhat impact the cessful in reversing negative perceptions of SF, particularly amongst
actions of P1–P3. For example, P3 credits the account with encourag- those with limited prior knowledge of the SFC, which is significant in
ing her to “buy maybe pricier pieces but that will last longer,” and P1 breaking down barriers to SF consumption. However, although partic-
halted an impulse purchase at Zara “I just thought that's not going to ipant knowledge about specific SF brands did increase, this was pri-
be recyclable […] that's a lot of fabric to waste, I'm not going to pur- marily for those with higher prior awareness of the SFC and/or
chase it.” These three participants had the highest prior awareness those who read and enjoyed the information provided in the text cap-
of SF, which subsequently increased; previously knew of at least one tions of posts. It had no impact on those who did not read the cap-
SF brand, and subsequently became aware of more; participated in tions. With reference to the TPB, it may be argued that prior
engagement with the SFC either through visiting brand pages and knowledge of SF positively affected attitudes, perceptions, and
412 MCKEOWN AND SHEARER

perhaps intentions, but socially normative values might not have been This research therefore established that CIEs can change attitudes
sufficiently established in this case to impact the shift towards sustain- towards SF, but less definitive results were found as to their potential
able behaviours. Therefore, the attitude–behaviour gap was not to impact action. Although it indicates that CIEs may have a role to
resolved by CIE intervention. However, consumer engagement in SM play in inspiring mainstream consumers to engage and increase sus-
around SF issues does positively affect cognitive values, which in turn tainable practice generally, due to the limited time span of this study,
will positively impact behaviours as the prevailing norm becomes further research is required to determine whether the generally more
predisposed towards sustainable consumption. This is evidenced in positive attitude of mainstream consumers towards the SF will even-
the findings where all participants had a positive shift in awareness tually manifest itself in SF purchases.
and inclination towards more sustainable practice.
Evaluating the impact of the account on engagement with the SFC 5.2 | Limitations and recommendations
was crucial, as an increase in engagement has the potential to encour-
age more sustainable shopping and, in turn, influence others to do so, This study has indicated a need for SFC interventions to take a multidi-
thus taking steps towards making SF more mainstream. In this regard, mensional approach that aligns SF/SFC awareness, perception of desir-
the account had a partial impact. The effect of the account was largely ability of product, and the development of social norms that motivate
positive, with impact dependent on the degree of effort involved in SF behaviours. As the @the_press_tour account was at an incipient
each type of engagement and the participant's previous level of inter- stage at the time of the research, an extended period of data collection
est; half of the mainstream consumers interviewed actively engaged might have provided a stronger indicator of behavioural change and
with the SFC through the account. Additionally, archival data analysis offers potential for a longitudinal study. Additionally, this study is
revealed that the account's least popular posts in relation to “likes” exploratory with a small sample size; therefore, the finding is indicative
were those that focused primarily on SF without reference to rather than representative of the wider population. The research does
Watson's location or current film project, indicating that many fol- however provide an initial insight into the impact that CIEs may have in
lowers may not be engaging with the SFC through the account, but relation to SF and offers the basis for further research.
with Watson herself. This lends support to the primary critique of Emerging from the study is the reiteration that consumers perceive
institutional theory that followers may engage more with the CIE than SF to be more expensive than “mainstream” offerings. The account may
the institutional concept they are advocating (Hopkinson & Cronin, have been more impactful upon SF purchasing decisions if Watson
2015). However, the use of Instagram as a platform for CIEs may showcased more affordable, “everyday” outfits in addition to the
reduce the impact of this; by “liking” the account posts, even if the designer brands she features. A recommendation is therefore to exam-
intent was to engage with Watson rather than the SFC, the post ine the impact of including more accessible and affordable SF items in
becomes visible to the followers of the person who “liked” the post similar SM accounts. Additionally, the study indicates that consumers
through the app's “following” tab. This increases the reach of Watson's are more likely to engage with SF if they encounter it more frequently,
account beyond its followers, potentially raising awareness amongst and therefore, it is recommended that sustainable fashion products are
other demographics and consumers and therefore influencing the pre- given increased visibility via more prominent in‐store and SM marketing
vailing norm. However, comments on Instagram posts were not indic- in order to enhance the likelihood of sustainable purchasing behaviours.
ative of engagement, which is contrary to SM research by De Vries
et al. (2012) and Hoffman and Fodor (2010). ORCID
It can be concluded that overall, despite increased awareness, Linda Shearer https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7773-3216
knowledge and (to an extent) engagement, the @the_press_tour
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Song, S., and Ko, E. (2014). ‘Sustainable fashion consumption and purchase manager of a creative, global design agency. Her research focuses
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Linda Shearer is a Senior Lecturer in fashion in the Department of
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Fashion, Marketing, Events and Tourism, Glasgow School for Busi-
Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978‐981‐10‐2440‐5_12
ness and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University. With a back-
van Doorn, J., Lemon, K. N., Mittal, V., Nass, S., Pick, D., Pirner, P., &
Verhoef, P. C. (2010). Customer engagement behaviour: Theoretical ground in design, her teaching focuses on sustainable fashion
foundations and research directions. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), design practice and the applications of CAD technologies. Linda's
253–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670510375599 key research interest is the interrelationship of dress, identity,
Wahid, F., & Sein, M. K. (2013). Institutional entrepreneurs: The driving the body, and change, and she also publishes in the areas of vin-
force in institutionalization of public systems in developing countries.
tage retailing and sustainable fashion consumption.
Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 7(1), 76–92.
https://doi.org/10.1108/17506161311308179
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keters and mashup makers: A netnography of absurd animation on
How to cite this article: McKeown C, Shearer L. Taking sus-
YouTube. In S. Brown, & S. Ponsonby‐McCabe (Eds.), Brand mascots:
Anthropomorphic marketing: And other marketing animals (pp. tainable fashion mainstream: Social media and the institutional
123–140). London, England: Routledge. celebrity entrepreneur. J Consumer Behav. 2019;18:406–414.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1780

AU THOR BIOG RAPH IES

Carolyn McKeown is a graduate of MSc International Fashion
Marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University and is Marketing
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