Social Media Marketing and Consumer - Brand Relationship in Luxury Markets

Abstract

Given the shift from traditional to new communication approaches, luxury brands are strategically focusing on social media marketing – SMM - for product and services’ endorsement through daily narratives. Nowadays, social media is an integral part of marketing and advertising. Social media communication is a growing area of interest for scholars in fashion marketing. In being a two-way platform for communication, by allowing users to share information and interact with each other, but also with influencers, SMM tools may represent a fundamental tool to increase customer consciousness and improve customer relationships in the competitive and diversified Chinese luxury fashion marketing.
This study aims to analyze how WeChat, a Chinese social media platform that has become the main trendsetter for luxury fashion brands in China, can impact customer relations with luxury fashion brands and purchase intention. As an exploratory qualitative study, the contribution is interpretive rather than causal, and it addresses a gap in understanding about how WeChat-mediated interactions are viewed to shape intimacy, trust, and brand consciousness in Chinese luxury contexts. Because the empirical data was obtained in 2018, the conclusions should be considered as historically relevant rather than reflective of current market conditions.