Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Sharmin Attaran
Keywords
Marketing; Fashion; Luxury; Non-Luxury
Rights Management
CC-BY-NC-ND
Abstract
This paper sets out to investigate the expectations, satisfaction, and retention of fashion advertising. The purpose of this paper is to determine if ad type (traditional models vs. plus-size models) and brand type (luxury vs. non-luxury) have impacts on consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, purchase intention, and overall expectations of the advertisements and brands. Two-hundred fifty-six participants (62.5% males, 37.5% females) (mean age = 19.9) were recruited from Bryant University and received extra credit in their MKT201 course for completing the survey. Each participant was randomly assigned one stimulus advertisement and was then asked to answer a questionnaire that featured measures of the dependent variables, a manipulation check, and demographic questions. The results of the study indicate that ad type (plus-size models) enhance the attitudes and perceptions associated with the brand or advertisement, regardless of brand type. The results also indicate that ad type (plus-size) models create a higher likelihood to purchase from the brand in the future, as well as significant differences between males and females in regard to their overall attitudes towards the advertisements and brands. The results suggest that brands can have a positive impact on their brand identity and consumer purchase intention when they avoid promoting harmful stereotypes.
