Volume 11 Issue 3 (2022)

Fashion Consumerism: The Impact of Marketing

Strategies on Generation Z Consumers
Ella Bjerre

Chadwick School, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA, USA

ABSTRACT

The fashion industry is one that constantly changes due to worldly events. One of the most common ways to
market fashion to consumers is through social media. Interestingly, Generation Z is one of the leading causes
of social media use for marketing. With COVID-19 drastically impacting all aspects of life, the researcher chose
to answer this question: “How have fast fashion and sustainable fashion brands adapted their social media mar-
keting to target Generation Z in The United States as a result of the pandemic?” The method chosen for this
paper was a content analysis looking at 1,200 Instagram posts uploaded to the accounts of five fast fashion
brands, and five sustainable fashion brands within chosen dates between 2019 and 2021. The study found that
the biggest shifts in social media marketing lay within advocacy of worldly events, sustainability, and a decrease
in regular clothing advertisements. While fast fashion and sustainable fashion brands are certainly different,
there are interesting parallels between them as it pertains to social media marketing.

Introduction

The fashion industry is a powerful force that drives almost all societies around the world, sculpting the individ-
uality and beauty of different cultures and people. Generation Z, or Gen Z, are the people born between 1995
and 2010 (Francis 2). Unlike other generations, Gen Z is obsessed with the online world and does not know life
without digitalization and social media. A 2017 journal article published in the Global Journal of Enterprise
Information defines social media as “any electronic service through which Internet users [are] able to create
and share a variety of contents over the Internet” (Prakash 111). The social media sector in the United States
increased by $104 billion in sales between 2017 and 2020 and is still on the rise (Thomas 13). A study published
in a 2020 journal article about the e-lifestyle of Gen Z found that over two-thirds of Gen Z high school students
use social media daily, and 70% carry mobile devices (Wijaya 27). As a result of this massive online presence,
the consumer behavior of Generation Z has changed over the past decade, with brands continuously altering
their image through social media to appeal to the desires of the younger generation. It is evident that an influx
of digitalization has sparked an online world dominated by Gen Z.
Since its first appearance in the late 1990s, fast fashion has redefined the structure and functioning of
the fashion industry entirely. Fast fashion is a business model that includes the production and consumption of
stylish apparel at a low price and has significant implications on the environment as a result of an ongoing cycle
of production, consumption, and waste (Niinimäki 189; Gupta 2; Moorhouse 17). An accredited academic arti-
cle, titled Waste Couture, reveals that a shocking 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions can be traced back
to the apparel industry as a result of an emerging obsession with fast fashion, particularly amongst Gen Z con-
sumers (Claudio 450). In comparison, sustainable fashion has a lack of consumer interest but has an apparent
sustainability-oriented business model. While a universal definition has yet to be solidified, sustainable fashion
revolves around clothing industries reducing excessive textile usage and limiting environmental degradation
(Kustenkova 2).

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Fashion marketing has been on the global agenda since the dawn of industrialization but has never
changed as drastically as it did during the rise of COVID-19. By April of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic took
over the entire world and disrupted every aspect of fashion retailing. There was sadness looming amongst con-
sumers, as society began to realize the environmental implications of the fashion industry. An article published
in the Journal of Health Management describes how “COVID-19 has pulled the handbrake for the humankind
race to destruction and redirected attention to life and living” (Mehta 10). There is a lack of research on how
Gen Z consumer tendencies have altered marketing strategies as a result of the global pandemic. With the facts
and figures presented, the following question has been raised: How have fast fashion and sustainable fashion
brands adapted their social media marketing to target Generation Z in The United States as a result of the
pandemic?

Literature Review

Consumerism & Fast Fashion

Brands such as Zara, Forever 21, H&M, and Shein are companies that people turn to for the most trendy, cheap,
and desirable clothing on the market today. It is important to understand how consumers are targeted through
marketing strategies within such brands. The newest, and most successful form of fast fashion marketing is
through social media. Brands have turned to social media for two reasons: it is cost-effective and more efficient
in allowing for consumer engagement. According to an article published by the Aalto University School of
Business, pictures and videos have become the most effective way to market to consumers since they have an
innate desire to purchase the trendiest designs that can be seen through visuals. In an attempt to understand
which social media platform performed best when marketing for fast fashion, a questionnaire was sent out to
105 consumers. It found that Instagram, at 86%, was not only the most popular site for producers of fast fashion
apparel but also for the consumers (Koivulehto 35). In addition, when looking at fast fashion consumer tenden-
cies, it is clear that impulsive spending has become a driving force for fast fashion brands. Dr. Elvira Bolat, a
professor in Digital Marketing, looked into how social media influencers impact impulsivity. In her study, she
clarifies that influencers are people who have the potential to impact consumer behavior through persuasion
and social networks. A survey was sent out to 465 people to see how influencers impact their consumerism.
The results showed that 57% agreed to some extent that impulsive spending had to do with seeing influencers
using a product. Of that 57%, the respondents believed that the most impactful influencers were the ones who
cared about social issues and the environment (5). While some studies argue that there is a shift to sustainable
thinking in fast fashion, influencers shine a light on the ethical dilemma that is impulsive consumerism as a
result of social media marketing.
Some of the more obvious consumer engagement strategies for fast fashion brands include fast re-
sponse to changing preferences, short life cycles for products, and low prices. Businesses have to look at their
marketing strategies and constantly react to new trends and styles. When a comparison is made between expen-
sive luxury brands with limited items and affordable fast fashion brands with a plethora of items, consumers
are naturally drawn to fast fashion. A study by Canie K. Chu Lo in 2020 introduced the idea that consumers are
driven by the concept of ‘Desired by Many, Owned by Very Few’ when it comes down to the best way to
market fashion brands (330). Chu Lo claims that people are attracted to a limited supply of items rather than
easily-accessible items. However, when it comes down to what consumers truly desire, Ľubica Knošková ad-
vances the notion of a consumer preference of availability in her 2019 survey with 150 participants. 63.5% of
respondents explain that they prefer fast fashion brands because of the availability and affordability of the items
(61). In summation, accessibility, impulsivity, and cheap products all lead to a consumer desire for fast fashion.

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Consumerism & Sustainable Fashion

Consumers of sustainable fashion have very different mindsets when purchasing fashion items. In comparison
to an emphasis on people and profit, sustainable brands focus on the planet. In her honors thesis, Zhanna Kutsen-
kova at the Dominican University of California conducted a meta-analysis by exploring a variety of studies that
investigated the purchasing behaviors of consumers of sustainable fashion. She gave credence to a consumer
shift to an ethical mindset when it comes to fashion consumption. Firstly, she found that consumers are signif-
icantly warier when human rights violations occur (11). Lilian Dach, who published her findings on the same
issue in 2014, attested to this concept by explaining how sweatshop labor is a major ethical concern amongst
consumers (410). Kutsenkova references a study held in 2012 that interviewed 39 frequent consumers of ethical
apparel companies to understand what the major moral and physical purchasing criteria were. While the sample
size was limited, the primary result revealed that sustainable clothing needed to meet a threshold that would let
the clothing last for lengthy periods in both trendiness and durability while still having limited impacts on the
environment. In addition, a majority of the participants revealed how clothes produced under environmentally
friendly conditions led to a feeling of satisfaction in helping the environment (Kustenkova 11). This expresses
the importance of sustainable fashion having psychological and physical benefits for a consumer’s self-esteem.
Published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Hyejune Park discusses another survey
conducted in 2015 with a specific goal of determining the mindset of sustainable fashion consumers when
purchasing clothing. While many of the participants believed that ethics mattered greatly when purchasing sus-
tainable clothing, the majority expressed their belief that ‘fitting in’ was the end-all-be-all in fashion consump-
tion (115). This survey; however, is limited because it is very open-ended. Melea Press at the Hanken School
of Economics counters the notion of consumers being driven by ‘fitting in’ by asking consumers to answer
hypothetical sustainability-related issues in fashion. One of the first questions asked consumers to discuss their
feelings when boycotting companies that exploited their workers. The results found that consumers enjoy the
idea of helping to reduce the challenges and risks associated with fashion for the benefit of the rest of society
(1355). By taking a chance and standing up for their beliefs, the consumers felt better about their contributions.
A 2021 article cited the need for “operating with sustainability” since “appearing socially responsible could be
a decisive element [in] whether the individuals want to associate with [a] brand or not as it draws in a con-
sumer’s ‘feel-good’ nature in consumption (Žukauskas 52).
The last, and arguably the most important aspect of consumer tendencies for sustainable fashion, is
brand transparency. Dong Shen published his works in the Marketing Management Journal in 2013 asking a
variety of questions about environmentally friendly clothing products distributed to 500 college students. While
the original intent was to uncover whether or not consumers were drawn to terms such as ‘green’, ‘organic’,
and ‘eco’, they found that the strongest motivators for purchasing sustainable clothing were when brands were
open about eco-fashion involvement and environmental commitment (137). Press cited the need for disclosure
and accountability in marketing tactics for sustainable brands. This has to do with a consumer's belief system
that purchasing from a credible brand means that the consumer-producer relationship has environmental bene-
fits (Press 1355). With this being said, building a more sustainability-oriented consumer basis means supplying
clear information about environmentally conscious products through marketing strategies.

Generation Z Consumer Behavior

Gen Z is a prominent group with a significant amount of power to engage with brands and influence branding
techniques. Fashion brands are faced with the challenge of understanding the behaviors and values of this gen-
eration. According to Tracy Francis, a retail professional, there are three main aspects to Gen Z and their inter-
pretation and implications on the consumer-producer relationship. These include: having access to rather than
possession of clothing, having consumption as a form of individual identity, and having the ability to make

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ethical decisions with regard to purchasing habits (2). Accumulating research published in 2020 found similar
consumer tendencies. Author Jorge Vieira sent out a questionnaire to 233 Gen Z members of society, aged 10
to 25 years old, and found that Gen Z places high stakes on the freedom to choose. In addition, one of the ways
Gen Z communicates their consumer interest is through social media interactions, through which they discuss
opinions about different products and brands. This generation encapsulates their opinions by using a variety of
social media outlets including Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. One result found that 49% of Gen Z consumers
believe that they can enact change through dialogue while 57% of millennials think that it takes too much effort
to alter the system (6). Finally, Gen Z cares deeply about the integrity of a company, namely brand transparency.
With that being said, Gen Z feels strongly about having similar values and opinions with their preferred fashion
companies (Vieira 7). Published to the Seven Bridges academic journal in 2020, Yasmina Magdy describes
how brands are expected to take a stand on a range of topics to attract Gen Z consumers. This reveals the shift
from passive to active consumer behavior where Gen Z opinions significantly impact brand communication.
Gen Z believes that a brand should take action on the ideals by which the company has laid the foundation of
its brand. This allows Gen Z consumers to have clear opinions about an issue through their purchasing tenden-
cies (49).
A Shifting Consumer Mindset: COVID-19

While consumerism has drastically changed alongside the evolution of e-commerce, there have been significant
alterations to consumer mindsets as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic as well. Firstly, the idea of re-inventing
the fashion industry has become widely encouraged. Professor Idiano D'Adamo at the Unitelma Sapienza Uni-
versity of Rome expresses how “a more resilient, antifragile, and fair future [as it pertains to consumerism] can
begin in the post-pandemic period” (1). He emphasizes the concept of a ‘circular fashion industry’ where ap-
parel items reach their full potential for the consumer and are then designed to be recycled. McKinsey & Com-
pany, a management consulting firm, sent out a survey to 2,000 consumers in the wake of the pandemic lock-
down. The results were conclusive in the shifting mindset as pointed out by D'Adamo. 65% of the respondents
affirmed that they were not opposed to delaying new apparel collections. In addition, 70% expressed their need
for brand transparency about sustainable considerations in their business models. Finally, 71% of respondents,
most of whom are Gen Z and millennials, have turned to a habit of purchasing second-hand clothing (Granskog
8). These results reveal that there has been a significant change in the mindset. D’Adamo refers to the Copen-
hagen Fashion Summit held in 2021 that further extends the argument on these exact alterations. The phrase
‘take, make, dispose of’ is being thrown out the window by the world’s leaders in sustainable fashion compa-
nies. Among the ideas presented, the most impactful ideas include implementing a reusable strategy, enforcing
traceability of a product, and utilizing efficient methods for energy conservation (D’Adamo 3). All in all, the
change in the mindset of Gen Z consumers is significant and warrants a much closer look.

Gap in Research

Recent literature falls short in its lack of information about the implications of COVID-19 on Gen Z consum-
erism. While studies that explore different fashion brands, whether sustainable or fast fashion, can be found,
there is a lack of modernity in the ideas presented since worldly events can significantly alter consumerism.
This study will hone in on Gen Z consumers in the United States where fashion and trends are at their forefront.
The hypothesis of this paper is that fast fashion and sustainable brands have increased their focus on sustaina-
bility and decreased their focus on regular clothing advertisements in order to respond to the change in the Gen
Z consumer mindset.

Methodology

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According to Klaus Krippendorff at the University of Pennsylvania, Content analysis is defined as a “research
technique for making replicable and valid inferences from texts (or other meaningful matter) to the contexts of
their use” (18). The goal of this methodology is to collect qualitative data and then convert it into quantitative
data that proves an observation within groups of individuals during a selected time period. An investigation into
how fast fashion and sustainable fashion brands are marketing to Gen Z after the 2020 pandemic provided
insight into the alterations of marketing strategies. This method allowed for quantitative and qualitative analysis
and left little room for obstructions from the opinion of the researcher. Considering direct observation of fashion
brand marketing is not possible due to company confidentiality, conducting a Content Analysis is a good alter-
native as it overcomes this limitation. That said, this research looked into the communication trends used for an
individual group, being Gen Z. This content was taken and reviewed from sources that could be found online.
The media chosen for this study was Instagram since it provided social media posts that could be traced back
from before the pandemic started through today. According to Statista, 30.1% of Instagram users are aged 18-
24 and 8.5% are ages 13-17 making Gen Z a large presence on this platform (1). This makes for an efficient
form of data collection considering Gen Z has a plethora of opportunities to present their beliefs to a digital
audience.

Population

The region that the researcher looked at was the United States. There are currently 332.4 million people in the
country with Generation Z making up 20.35% (Statista 1). To reiterate, the age range for Gen Z is between
1995 and 2010 (Francis 2).

Brands

In order to select the brands needed, the researcher needed to define what fast fashion and sustainable fashion
brands looked like. The researcher defined sustainable fashion as brands designed, manufactured, and distrib-
uted in environmentally conscious ways. In addition, the researcher defined fast fashion as cheap and trendy
clothing produced by mass-market retailers. With that, the researcher found a total of ten brands on Instagram—
five sustainable and five fast fashion—with the most followers. More followers allow for a more accurate un-
derstanding of marketing alterations. The sustainable fashion brands were Patagonia, Reformation, Pact,
Afends, and Marah Hoffman. Through investigating the Instagram pages of each fashion brand, the researcher
found that all of these brands had between 150,000 and 4.7 million followers. The fast fashion brands were
Urban Outfitters, H&M, BooHoo, Zara, and Forever 21. These brands all had between 9 million and 50 million
followers. Data was collected from the following Instagram accounts:

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Content analysis (Quantitative & Qualitative)

Published in 2009, researcher Naorem Binita Devi in the Department of Psychology at the Mizoram University
describes content analysis as “increasingly employed as a means to facilitate data analysis of researchers in the
field of marketing and [social] media studies” (1). Similarly, a book published by Oxford University in 2016
elaborates on social media being a justified instrument for content analysis review (Drisko 2). In this study,
content analysis allowed for the examination of social media content produced by the ten brands chosen. The
researcher examined posts found on the official Instagram pages for each brand ranging from 2019 to 2021.
Each post was inspected for words or phrases that referred to factors that drive Gen Z purchasing tendencies.
Words like ‘Brand Transparency’, ‘Sustainability’, and ‘Trendy’ were collected and categorized. The researcher
used these categories to reveal alterations to marketing from before the pandemic (2019-202) and during (2020-
2021). The researcher also utilized pie charts to disclose the percentage of each category which determined the
prevalent marketing strategies for both brand models.

Instruments

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Google Sheets was used to record and categorize the data to make pie charts. The purpose of the categories
shown in the screenshot below is so the researcher consistently followed multiple stages in order to record and
properly categorize the data. The first column expressed the date, as data was recorded once a week for each
brand. The second column indicated the first round of categorizing the posts by type under the title of “Adver-
tisement”. In the third column, the researcher copied the caption of each post, and the fourth column was the
official categorization of each post. In addition to Google Sheets, the researcher also used an online weekly
calculator in order to space out the timing for each Instagram post over the specified time.

Procedure

The social media accounts were found through the Instagram search function. The terms used to find the brands
were “Sustainable Fashion”, “Ethical Fashion”, and “Fast Fashion.” Every weekly post starting from January
1st, 2019 to May 3rd, 2022 was reviewed and collected in Google Sheets for their main idea. It should be noted
that these dates were chosen to ensure the analysis covered data beginning before the onset of the pandemic.
The researcher split the data into a “before” section and a “during” section. For the sake of this paper, the
pandemic started on March 9th, 2020 meaning that any dates before that time were considered “before,” and
any dates after were considered “during''. Each post was analyzed and the researcher looked for singular words
or phrases of up to 3 words. The researcher elected an open-coding framework, such that the categories stated
were created throughout the process of collecting data. For example, posts that looked at brand transparency
were coded into words that fit multiple other posts to draw conclusions. Then, the phrases were transferred into
categories and percentages by the factors that drive Gen Z consumerism. Lastly, the categories were visually
represented using pie charts formed using Google Sheets. All of the data that was collected was only available
to the researcher and will be made available to the public if approved to do so.

Results and Data Analysis

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The following pie charts use five criteria for categorizing the Instagram posts. These include sustainability,
advocacy, consumer engagement, mental health, and regular clothing advertisements. The researcher analyzed
a total of 1,200 Instagram posts and organized them based on these categories. 600 posts were analyzed for the
fast fashion brands and 600 posts were analyzed for the sustainable fashion brands. To give an example, when
a post highlighted body positivity, the researcher placed said post under the category of mental health. The
following quantitative coding map shows the researcher’s thought process when categorizing the Instagram
posts.

Graphs

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Figure 1. Fast Fashion Before the Pandemic

Figure 2. Fast Fashion During the Pandemic

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Figure 3. Sustainable Fashion Before the Pandemic

Figure 4. Sustainable Fashion During the Pandemic

Fast Fashion Brands

When analyzing the data collected, the most unexpected change for fast fashion brands was the 9 percentage
point increase in brands posting about mental health during the pandemic (17.7% ) compared to before the
pandemic (8.7%). As poised by Yasmina Madgy in her article published in the Seven Bridges journal, Gen Z
believes that their consumer ideologies should reflect in business models (49). That said, it is perfectly plausible
that the increase in mental health posts was a result of increased stress on mental health. Figure 2 is a screenshot
taken directly from fast fashion brand Boohoo's Instagram page. Posted in November of 2021, it depicts an
example of mental health awareness after the wake of the pandemic. With the repeating phrase “I love myself,

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I believe in myself, I support myself”, the viewer of the post is encouraged

to take on healthier mindsets when viewing themselves.
A more expected change was the shift from regular clothing ad-
vertisement posts before the pandemic (43.2%) to during (30.4%). This
12.8 percentage point decrease exposes the idea posed by Magdy in that
Gen Z consumers want, and expect, to see their beliefs showcased on
brand social media (49). Before the pandemic, the number of Instagram
posts concerning sustainability was relatively low (5.6%). During the pan-
demic, the percentage slightly increased (6.7%). As D’Adamo explained,
there has been a shift in fashion brand models to accommodate Gen Z’s
increased vigilance on environmental issues (3). While the increase is
clear, it is slightly unexpected that there was only a 1.1 percentage point
increase in these posts. The researcher hypothesized that there would be a
major increase in sustainability posting, similar to that of sustainable fash-
ion brands. It is possible; however, that fast fashion brands realize that
they have a long way to go to address their own impact on sustainability
and therefore choose to minimize it. The increase in posts regarding ad-
vocacy was also striking from before the pandemic (9.8%) to during
(20.8%). These advocacy posts included a range of ideas from
LGBTQIA+ rights to education. This makes for one of the largest in-
creases of 11 percentage points from before the pandemic. Figure 3 is a screenshot taken from the Instagram
account for Zara, another fast fashion brand, in June of 2020. With civic unrest pertaining to race in the United
States occurring during this time, this post advocates the phrase “We stand for equality”. Similar to figure 2,
this post represents one of the many ways that brands advocate for social issues on their platforms. A viewer
such as Gen Z may view this post and feel confident in their consumerism by standing behind a brand that
stands up for civic issues. The final section, consumer engagement, saw an 8.4% percentage point decrease in
posting before the pandemic (32.8%) to during (24.4%). As cited by Dong Shen in his survey of 500 college
students, brand transparency was one of the most significant aspects that Gen Z consumers look for (137). The
data, however, shows a decrease in posts in this category, going against Shen’s notions. In summation, the
categories that changed the most after the pandemic were the increase in advocacy and the decrease in regular
clothing advertisements.

Sustainable Fashion Brands

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The observed shifts in

marketing strategies
within sustainable brands
were quite different from
fast fashion brands.
Firstly, sustainability was
the category that in-
creased the most from be-
fore (19%) to during
(33.3%) the pandemic.
This 14.3 percentage
point increase signifies
that most brands put high
emphasis on continuing
their pursuit of sustaina-
bility. Figure 4 is a
screenshot taken from the
Instagram account of a
sustainable fashion brand called Pact. This post highlights the brand’s lessened amount of water usage which
falls under the category of sustainability. As previously explained by Zhanna Kutsenkova in her study on the
purchasing behaviors of consumers of sustainable fashion, many consumers feel satisfaction from purchasing
environmentally conscious products as they help support the environment (11). With this post advocating for
“Less water usage”, the consumers feel this satisfaction. Following sustainability, the second-biggest increase
was the postings on mental health. There was a 5.2 percentage point increase from before (5.5%) to during
(10.7%) the pandemic. Similar to that of fast fashion brands, mental health awareness is very important to Gen
Z making it easy to understand why brands increased their posting on mental health. Next, advocacy stayed
relatively stagnant with only a 2.1 percentage point increase from before (13.4%) to during (15.5%). Similarly,
consumer engagement started relatively high before the pandemic (17.6%) and decreased by only 2.8 percent-
age points (14.8%). Finally, the biggest change was in regular clothing advertisements decreasing a staggering
18.7 percentage points throughout the pandemic. Before, regular clothing ads took up nearly half of all posting
(44.5%), but during they decreased to roughly one-fourth (25.8%). Figure 5 is a screenshot taken from sustain-
able fashion brand, Reformation. In comparison to other posts, this post solely advertises the clothing item.
With that said, these types of posts have greatly decreased to make room for other posts mainly pertaining to
social issues around the world. So, the biggest alterations to social media marketing for sustainable fashion
brands lie within the 18.7 percentage point decrease in regular clothing advertisements followed by the 14.3
percentage point increase in sustainability postings.

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Limitations and Implications

It is important to understand how the limitations of this study control the validity of the researcher’s conclusions.
Firstly, the researcher only focused on ten brands out of the thousands of brands around the world. While a
significant sum of posts was collected, the results should be taken with a grain of salt in that the researcher
could have had completely different trends and results if other brands were chosen. It should also be noted that
the researcher had to follow a strict time limit in conducting research, limiting the number of brands to be
analyzed. Secondly, Gen Z is not the only group on Instagram. Many other age groups use Instagram regularly
and there is no way to be completely sure that the viewership of these brands fell solely within the Gen Z age
range. This means that while the researcher can explain the alterations to marketing strategies, they cannot be
fully certain that these alterations specifically target Gen Z.
Thirdly, some of the ten businesses did not post regularly. In order to collect equal data, the researcher
had to select posts that had the closest date to the one that was not posted. This limitation impacts the conclu-
sions made in that some of the data was not posted on the exact same date, making it difficult to make exact
inferences on how time altered marketing strategies. It is also important to consider the researcher’s bias. In
this case, the ideas and beliefs of the researcher could have impacted the interpretation of the data. Though the
researcher did what they could to remain objective, bias could have impacted the data collection without the
researcher being aware. Finally, any conclusions made from this research cannot be fully certain because of the
Triple Variable Problem. This problem states that two variables that seemingly have a connection could be
entirely caused by a third variable (Zach 1). In short, this limitation means that any conclusions made by the
researcher could be coincidental. That said, all of these limitations have major implications for the accuracy of
the results of this research paper.

Future Directions

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Future research concerning sustainable and fast fashion marketing because of the pandemic could further elab-
orate on the research question. Future researchers could consider doing a content analysis of a larger scale of
brands to more accurately predict how marketing strategies have changed. In addition, if not for the time con-
straint, the researcher would have analyzed the social media posts within the year 2022 in order to see the
differences between before, during, and after the pandemic. Also, to further the argument of how certain mar-
keting strategies have been altered, future researchers could conduct a correlational analysis by comparing the
sales reports of each brand in correlation to the category of Instagram post that has changed the most. For
example, the 9 percentage point increase in mental health posting for fast fashion brands could be compared to
the sales reports to see if there was an increase in revenue as a result of an increase in mental health posting.
This correlational analysis approach could be very effective in distinguishing the most effective marketing
strategies when targeting Gen Z.

Conclusion

This research paper aimed to answer the question “How have fast fashion and sustainable fashion brands
adapted their social media marketing to target Generation Z in The United States as a result of the pandemic?”
As shown in the results, the biggest adaptations to marketing strategies for both fast fashion and sustainable
fashion brands were the decrease in regular clothing advertisements and the increase in mental health posting.
Interestingly, only sustainable fashion brands saw a significant increase in sustainable posting, while fast fash-
ion brands saw a less significant increase, contrary to the researcher's hypothesis. This may be because the fast
fashion industry still lags behind on sustainable business practices in general, however, further research is re-
quired to uncover the actual underlying reasons for this. Furthermore, where fast fashion brands lacked in sus-
tainable postings, they made up for in increased advocacy postings, reflecting each brand model’s relative
strengths.
This research provides some understanding of the gap in knowledge regarding the modern nature of
social media marketing as a result of the pandemic. Multiple groups benefit from understanding how marketing
has changed. For Gen Z, knowing what areas of social issues brands concern themselves with boosts consum-
erism in purchasing from brands with similar beliefs and ideologies. For brands that are attempting to gain
traction in the social media world, it may benefit them to understand the trends that other brands are following
to keep up with current social issues trending on social media.
With Gen Z’s massive online presence, it is no wonder that both fast fashion and sustainable fashion
brands seem to have altered their social media marketing strategies as a result of their beliefs and tendencies.
There is no doubt that brands will continue to adjust their social media marketing approach in this ever-changing
online world.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my advisor for the valuable insight provided to me on this topic.

Works Cited

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Nov. 2021.

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Claudio, Luz. “Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry.” Environmental
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