Sub-conclusion: Marketing mix

88 behavior (Hargie, 2017, p. 368). Moreover, it can be argued that an Instagram celebrity can create a social desirability towards sustainable clothing, in the way that if he or she promotes sustainable clothes then followers will strive towards imitating it. This can be seen as social comparison and an attempt of the followers to do identity projects, as referred to previously in the analysis of this thesis, where it was identified that clothing can enable self-expression and participate in the formation of individuals’ identities. Moreover, if it becomes socially desirable in the minds of the followers to consume and possess sustainable clothes, acquiring such items can grant the followers membership to a group and a collective identity revolving around the admiration of the Instagram celebrity and his or her identity and lifestyle.

Classical conditioning can potentially help diminish the attitude-behavior gap that was previously identified, since it can enhance the mental availability of sustainable clothing from a given fashion company and strengthen consumer associations to the company, which is essential in regard to consumers’ decision making. It is important to continuously pair the unconditioned stimulus with the conditioned stimulus in order to preserve the conditioning effect (Jansson-Boyd, 2019, p. 28). The conditioning effect refers to the associations created for the company for instance by the use of an Instagram celebrity, which can help enhance the competitive position of the company, as it can assist in strengthening consumer attitudes toward the company and its products. In order to prevent a decay of these associations in the memories of the consumers repetition is needed (Solomon, 2018, p. 132).

Furthermore, the use of Instagram celebrities can be one way of using paid social media, which can potentially create earned media and increase traffic towards owned media (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 42).

89 design is an essential factor in consumers’ purchasing decision in regard to clothes. In terms of consumers' decision makings, the brand name can influence their choices, as they attach meanings to it besides the product’s physical attributes. In terms of sustainability, it can add an altruistic dimension to the brand, which can possibly increase consumers' willingness to choose it over another. At the level of the augmented product, value can also be added to in the form of superior service, which can increase customer loyalty. In terms of sustainability it is suggested that a fashion company for example can provide after sales repair opportunities for the customers’ clothes.

For the element of price, it is suggested that a fashion company implementing sustainability should make use of a hybrid pricing strategy. This should include the strategy of value-based pricing and cost-based pricing. As sustainability can add value to a piece of clothing in the eyes of the consumers, the value-based pricing is suggested, and as it is more expensive to produce sustainable clothes compared to conventional clothes, the cost-based pricing is suggested. However, as consumers are sensitive towards price, the company must be cautious of not setting the price at a level that will exceed the upper level in terms of what consumers are willing to pay.

In regard to sustainable fashion, differentiation through the element of place is primarily suggested to revolve around the aspect of increased physical availability. It has been identified that the current availability of sustainable fashion can be argued to be limited. Hence, making the sustainable items more available to consumers can also be a parameter of differentiation from competitors. In order to make it clear that the products are available, the visibility of the products should be enhanced in stores to make it more convenient for the customer. This can for example be done by separating sustainable clothing items from the conventional ones. Visibility can be further enhanced by the use of colors, or symbols. The majority of clothing purchases are made in stores, but online sales are increasing and in regard to sustainable fashion an online channel provides an optimal setting for a brand to expose a detailed universe about sustainability if the consumer wants to know more. With increased availability brands can offer an advantage of convenience to the consumers.

In regard to the element of promotion, there are different types of communication tools a fashion company can make use for its external communication when implementing sustainability initiatives.

Advertising and PR have the ability to create awareness, which can potentially lead to creating an interest and desire, whereas personal selling has the ability to assist in creating a desire and taking

90 actions. Hence, it is suggested to make use of a mixture of communication tools, which can also increase the likelihood of consumers recalling the company and its products. Furthermore, it is suggested to implement a heavy use of promotion during the launch of the products.

Besides promotion types, a fashion company can make use of different tactics of persuasion to strengthen consumer attitudes. To this the central route and the peripheral route of persuasion were identified. The central route taps into consumers' rational decision making process and seeks to convince through logic. A fashion company could therefore focus on logical advantages of the quality of the clothes or the benefits for workers and the environment, e.g. through numerical arguments, to use this route. The central route forms strong attitudes and could therefore be beneficial for a fashion company to make use of. The peripheral route taps into the intuitive decision making process and seeks to persuade on a more subconscious level through the consumers’ emotions. A fashion company could use this route by establishing a stage of ‘feel-good’ emotions in the consumers and through this enhance their ethical decision making. To reach a wide audience, it is recommended that a fashion company applies both routes in their promotion.

Additionally, it can be argued that a fashion company’s sustainability initiatives should be used as a themed message to emphasize the capabilities and values that the company wants to be associated with. When conveying the messages, the elements of transparency should be applied, as the disclosure of a company’s approach to sustainability, can show authenticity, reliability, and credibility.

Secondly, information about what sustainability means in relation to fashion is wanted from the consumers of the survey and the focus groups. Hence, information about how and why the company is focusing on these sustainability initiatives in terms of fashion can be essential to communicate, as it might help strengthen consumers’ attitudes and increase sales. Conclusively, a fashion company should seek to always provide clear and transparent information about its initiatives to provide the consumers with more knowledge and to differentiate themselves from competitors, who, as previously identified, are not communicating much about their actions.

A possible way for a fashion company to make its sustainable products available in the minds of the consumers is through the use of classical conditioning. Classical conditioning can be used to strengthen the associations towards the company and its products. For that, Instagram celebrities within fashion or sustainability can be used. A use of those can beside memory enhancement

91 potentially lead to sales of a fashion company’s sustainable products. This is due to the fact that Instagram celebrities can transfer their cultural values to a fashion company’s products to make them desirable. Also, the followers of Instagram celebrities strive to imitate them, which increases the followers’ purchase intentions towards the products they show.

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