Slow Fashion as a Communication Strategy of Fashion Brands on Instagram

Citation: Velasco-Molpeceres, A.; Zarauza-Castro, J.; Pérez-Curiel, C.; Mateos-González, S. Slow Fashion as a Communication Strategy of Fashion Brands on Instagram. Sustainability 2023,15, 423. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010423 Academic Editor: Colin Michael Hall Received: 31 October 2022 Revised: 22 December 2022 Accepted: 23 December 2022 Published: 27 December 2022 Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Article Slow Fashion as a Communication Strategy of Fashion Brands on Instagram Ana Velasco-Molpeceres 1,* , Jorge Zarauza-Castro 2, Concha Pérez-Curiel 3and Sophia Mateos-González 4 1Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain 2Departamento de Ciencias Sociales y de la Salud, Centro Universitario San Isidoro, 41092 Sevilla, Spain 3Facultad de Comunicación, Universidad de Sevilla, 41092 Sevilla, Spain 4Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, 47012 Valladolid, Spain *Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: The objective of this research is to study the reasons for the growing impact of sustainable slow fashion brands in the fashion industry and, in particular, how they manage their communication and which digital strategies they employ. We applied a mixed research methodology: a comparative content analysis of qualitative and quantitative indicators, as well as in-depth interviews with 10 professionals and experts in fashion and digital communication, with the aim of contrasting their opinions with the results of the study. The five sustainable fashion brands (YosoLOVEamor, LIFEGIST, ECOALF, Alohas, and ECOOLOGY) chosen are distinguished by the fact that they base their business projects on social and environmental responsibility, and their Instagram accounts were studied over a period. This paper demonstrates the social interest in and concern for sustainability, ethics, and corporate social responsibility in the fashion industry. Additionally, it is evident that slow fashion brands need to have a good online strategy, as it is the future of fashion. No greenwashing was found, but sustainable fashion is a controversial issue with no regulation and a short history, so it has to develop. Keywords: slow fashion; sustainability; Instagram; influencers; greenwashing; fast fashion; fashion 1. Introduction The objective of this research is to study the reasons for the growing impact of sustainable slow fashion brands in the fashion industry and, in particular, how they manage their communication. These brands must compete with multinational fast fashion companies (e.g., Inditex, H&M, Shein, Primark) in order to reach consumers. This paper aims to find out what their digital strategies are, how they configure their storytelling, what results and impact they generate with their communication on social networks, and the situation and possibilities of slow fashion in society [1,2]. Fast fashion is an industrial model that consists of a rapid, large-scale production of fashion items, characterized by their low cost and short sale time due to the rapid circulation of products in stores, which leads to an increase in consumption. In contrast, slow fashion represents a production model that is conscious of and responsible for the environment, based on social and environmental responsibility, the pursuit of quality in products, and a longer life cycle. Therefore, it has a high cost and slower production, resulting in a decrease in pollutants and an improvement in the environment [ 3 ]. In general, these are not large companies, but small initiatives, with limited profitability and resources. However, in social networks, especially on Instagram [ 4 ], the fashion industry attends to other variables, and not just the size of the companies, to make an impact. In a context in which concern for the environment and climate change is becoming increasingly important, slow fashion and sustainable fashion are topics on the rise. Alongside the oil and chemical industries, the textile industry is currently one of the most harmful to the environment. Almost 200 countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, which aims to Sustainability 2023,15, 423. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010423 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2023,15, 423 2 of 17 implement the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen the resilience of countries to changing climatic conditions [ 5 ]. However, as we have pointed out, sustainability is not limited solely to a production model. The media and social networks play a fundamental role in changing mentalities and tastes. For this reason, we consider this paper, which combines the emergency situation and climate change with research on fashion, a field of research that is on the rise and is also linked to new technologies and the transformations of society and its tastes, to be of interest. One of the problems with sustainable fashion and slow fashion, as well as communication in networks and media about sustainability, is the practice of greenwashing or social washing by companies. This term refers to the communication and marketing strategies carried out by companies to simulate sustainable actions that [ 6 , 7 ] are merely for marketing purposes. The point is that there is no legislation that establishes what constitutes an ecobrand, what constitutes slow fashion, what constitutes ethical fashion or what constitutes ecomoda, and what practices are required to use these labels. It is true, however, that there are various sustainability criteria that must be met in order to affirm that the aim is to avoid or minimize the environmental, economic, and social impact produced by human action. One very important factor is fashion environmental certifications that guarantee that the products being purchased do not contravene environmental or human rights. These are private certifications to fill the current legislative gap and to avoid prejudice; the origin of clothing does not make something sustainable. Some of the criteria are: 1. Fair trade. 2. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): Textiles have at least 70% organic fiber. 3. Organic Exchange (OE): produced through a production chain that is separate from other types of fibers. Standard 2 (OE Blend) refers to products that have a minimum of 5% organic cotton. 4. OEKO-TEX: The STANDARD 100 certificate guarantees that textiles are free of 300 harmful substances, and in Europe, the Made in Green certificate indicates that companies have respected the environment and human rights and are free of harmful substances. 5. Naturtextil: inspects social and ecological responsibility. The BEST certificate (from IVN) is the highest. 6. Bluesign: values the production of resources, atmospheric emissions, consumer and worker safety, water emissions, and health. 7. EU Ecolabel: is applied to products and services with high environmental standards throughout their life cycle. 8. Global Recycled Standard (GRS): is an international standard that allows for the verification and communication of the percentage of recycled materials in products, as well as the social and environmental practices of their production. 9. Naturland: fair trade certification for farmers. However, there are also other criteria. For example, cultural criteria are based on maintaining the cultural, textile, material, and immaterial heritage, betting on local industries, encouraging consumers to adopt more conscious behavior, cooperation and participation in collective projects for the community, as well as those related to professionalism or labeling and transparency with consumers, and social criteria such as respect for human rights, fair trade, and solidarity. Previous studies have indicated that the communication of sustainable brands has a very significant influence on the ecological awareness of consumers and their behavior [ 8 ]. Therefore, it is necessary to include new digital opinion leaders [ 9 ] to reach users on a daily basis to create an ideal opportunity for the creation of new sustainable textile companies [ 10 ]. Trends are created from the acceptance of the consumer, to whom the product is sold [8]. It is necessary to be well versed in the Internet business and understand the problems that networks generate, such as the vampire effect of influencers [ 11 – 13 ]. Or, as pointed out by [ 14 ] about slow fashion on Instagram, the fact is that environmental and social issues Sustainability 2023,15, 423 3 of 17 (such as feminism) are more prevalent in the communication of these accounts than fashion. Thus, the main discourse is ethical and moral, related to authenticity, not fashion. This points out [ 14 ] that minimalism and the presence of nature in the images are combined with sustainability. According to [ 15 ], slow fashion brands typically publish only a dozen posts per month, which usually focus on manufacturing processes, materials, and CSR (such as donations, effects on the environment, and talks). In this direction, another problem is that they do not seek to connect with the public in their speech, but rather to communicate about their projects. It is pointed out that their engagement is very low and that only 32.8% of the publications received comments. However—and this is important—there is a real commitment to the environment, and they do not engage in greenwashing practices. These problems and deficiencies necessitate the study of business sustainability communication to discover the reality and what can be done to stop the fashion industry from orbiting around fast fashion and its unsustainable practices, so that slow fashion brands know how to articulate their digital strategies to ensure viability. The general objective of this paper is to determine the reasons why slow fashion is gaining more and more impact in the fashion market and to analyze the communication that these fashion brands carry out through the Instagram social network. The research questions are: Q1. Are influencers the primary resource for Spanish sustainable fashion brands to promote their products on social media? Q2. What priority level do slow fashion brands give to the certification of ecological fashion and the use of sustainable materials? Q3. Is the engagement rate of content related to sustainability higher for slow fashion brands? 2. Literature Review Studies on the relationship between fashion and sustainability are a topic of growing interest for the academy; however, the contradiction between concern for the environment and its link to the fashion industry seems evident. The authors of [ 16 ] point out that there are great internal and external challenges to incorporating sustainability into the fashion design process. The authors of [ 17 ] also share a perception when investigating eight small US sustainable fashion companies. They point out that the problems of a sustainable fashion industry are numerous and varied, even affecting their own self-proclaimed sustainable fashion designers, who, like other producers, distributors, and customers, do not truly understand what sustainability means when applied to the fashion business. The authors of [ 18 ] also investigated the barriers to sustainability in the apparel and fashion luxury industry and pointed out that there are many, the fundamental ones being those related to ‘Management, Government Support, and Infrastructure Barriers’, although there are also ‘Material Barriers’, ‘Finance Barriers’, ‘Supplier Barriers’, ‘Certificates and Customer Perceptions’, and ‘Sustainable Packaging and Human Resource Barriers’. However, alongside barriers, various studies also point to different opportunities and models of sustainability in the fashion industry [19,20]. For their part, ref. [ 21 ] are more optimistic and point out that, regarding sustainable design and the circular economy in fashion and textiles, sustainable fashion will be more important in the future due to social concerns outside of the reality of companies, as 95% of the fabrics can be produced from recycled materials. The authors of [ 22 ] point out that, in the Swedish children’s clothing industry, designing for longevity and neutrality is important and that there are more strategies for sustainability than just the fabric; thus, they also have a positive future vision. The industry’s interest in sustainability is also pointed out by [ 23 ], who investigate, as does this paper, the forms of sustainable fashion, sustainable fashion brands’ strategies, consumer transparency, the driving forces and scopes, and how fashion brands and consumers are advancing towards sustainable fashion. Apart from the industrial landscape, many researchers consider the role of consumers to be essential. The authors of [ 24 ] ask how much sustainable value customers perceive Sustainability 2023,15, 423 4 of 17 and how much the evaluation of their sustainable performance influences their customer equity. They conclude that sustainability is very important because perceptions of value and quality are essential when fashion consumers evaluate a fashion company’s sustainable performance. Satisfaction with sustainability brings greater customer equity to companies and brands, thus strengthening customer relationships. Many authors have pointed out multiple advantages of implementing sustainable sourcing in the fashion industry [ 25 – 27 ]. 3. Materials and Methods The objective of this paper is interdisciplinary, as it aims to analyze the work of sustainable fashion brands within the industry and the communication strategies that these firms use when publicizing their products, production processes, or materials used. Therefore, it has been decided to apply a mixed research methodology, which is increasingly used because it allows for a greater understanding of the phenomena studied [ 28 ], facilitates the approach to a problem from different perspectives, and generates and verifies theories of the same identification [ 29 ]. Investigations using multiple methods have been shown to have a greater impact than those using only one method [ 30 ]. The method used in this research is based on a series of previous studies that employed comparative content analysis of qualitative and quantitative indicators [ 31 – 35 ], as well as in-depth interviews [ 36 , 37 ] with professionals and experts in fashion and digital communication, with the aim of contrasting their opinions with the results of the study. Both processes comprise a scientific basis that will allow for the verification of the hypotheses and the evaluation of the objectives of the study. Phase I: Content analysis The first phase (P1) of this research compares the qualitative and quantitative indicators of the content produced by five sustainable fashion brands: YosoLOVEamor, LIFEGIST, ECOALF, Alohas, and ECOOLOGY. These firms have a common denominator in that they are all characterized by basing their business projects on social and environmental responsibility. Therefore, the content analysis will focus on the profiles of these brands on the Instagram social network, due to its relevance in topics related to fashion [ 38 ], as well as in the communication strategies used to publicize their products and their impact on the digital universe. Based on the selection of the sample to be studied, various basic criteria are established that fashion brands must meet in order to be analyzed in this research. In this sense, firms must have sustainability certificates, use sustainable materials when making their garments, and use their social networks as communication tools when informing about the sustainability of their products. The fashion brands chosen for the content analysis are: 1. YosoLOVEamor: a Spanish brand that defines itself as label-less, sustainable, and made with organic cotton material. All their garments are made in Spain, respecting the environment, with information about the materials they are made of, and a GOTS certification. Additionally, the suppliers this brand works with have OEKO-TEX certification, ensuring that the fabric of the product is safe from chemicals. 2. LIFEGIST: a Spanish firm founded in 2013 with the intention of creating ecological and contemporary fashion. The materials used by this brand to make its garments include organic wool, elastane, organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, milk fiber, micro Modal ® , silkmere, and cashmere. This brand’s website includes a section dedicated to sustainability, descriptions of the materials used in their garments, and a detailed list of the certificates they possess, such as GOTS. 3. ECOALF: a brand founded in 2009 with a clear commitment to the environment, the planet, and people. This brand is highly recognized worldwide and stands out for its innovative projects linked to caring for the environment, such as Upcycling the Oceans, BECAUSE THERE IS NO PLANET B, or the #zeronet2030 movement. It should be noted that this firm has several sections on its website dedicated to sustainability, as well as information on CO 2 emissions or the water saved when making of the Sustainability 2023,15, 423 5 of 17 garment, as well as the materials or certificates that the garment has. It is the first fashion brand in Spain to obtain the B Corp certificate, as well as many others. In addition, it uses sustainable products such as recycled nylon, recycled bottles, recycled cotton, 0-microplastic fabric, recycled polyester, recycled wool, post-consumer coffee grounds, and recycled tires to make their garments. 4. Alohas: a Spanish fashion and footwear firm founded in Hawaii in 2015, whose business model is based on purchasing on demand, avoiding overproduction, and promoting responsible purchasing. Sustainability and local production are two fundamental features of its identity. In fact, during a purchase, the customer can donate money to various environmental causes, such as the regeneration of native forests and renewable energy projects. All the suppliers the firm works with are Leather Working Group certified, and all products are made with sustainable skins, using low-impact dyeing and causing less pollution. 5. ECOOLOGY: a brand that was born in 2010 and is defined as fashion and ecology in the same garment. This company uses natural, ecological, and recycled fabrics such as organic cotton, bamboo, linen, or tencel. In addition, it has several certificates, such as B-COME, FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION, GOTS, and OEKO-TEX. On its website, this brand has a section dedicated to sustainability—a collection called Upcycling, which is created from textile waste to make limited-edition pieces. In some products, they also provide the details of the materials used. Regarding the timeframe, the objective is to carry out a six-month comparative study (Table 1) (December 2021 to May 2022) of the various publications of these five brands on the Instagram social network in order to understand their strategies, how they shape their stories, and what results and impact they generate with their communication on social networks. The program chosen for data processing was IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 25. The reliability of the intercoders was calculated using Scott’s Pi formula, reaching an error level of 0.99. Table 1. Data sheet. Brand Name IG Count Followers YosoLOVEamor @yosoloveamor 56,300 LIFEGIST @lifegistfashion 1560 ECOALF @ecoalf 22.1000 Alohas @alohas 98.5000 ECOOLOGY @ecoology 4161 Source: Own elaboration. Standardized observation is used to recover the content published during the sample period, collecting the data manually and consulting one by one the publications that comprise the study sample, focusing on the previously detailed items in the quantitativequalitative analysis coding sheet designed to measure and compare actions and levels of influence of the brands under study. Based on the selected variables, the number of followers, number of publications, frequency, theme of the posts, level of response, and hashtags used, among others, are studied. In this sense, the coding manual was applied initially to a random sample of 10% to confirm the adequacy of the different variables and responses. Table 2shows the variables and methods that were used to analyze the intended brands: Sustainability 2023,15, 423 6 of 17 Table 2. Variables and methods. Brands and IG Count Methods Variables YosoLOVEoamor (@yosoloveoamor) ECOOLOGY (@Ecoology) LIFEGIST (@lifegistfashion) Alohas (@alohas) ECOALF (@ecoalf) Quantitative analysis Number of followers Number of posts Type of influencer (macroinfluencer or microinfluencer) Frequency Metrics (comments and views) Type of post (photo, Reel or IGTV) Qualitative analysis Topic of posts Most viewed video Theme Hashtags Level of engagement Source: Own elaboration. Phase 2: Interviews Attending to the second phase (P2), a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews are carried out with various experts related to fashion, marketing, social networks, advertising campaigns, and sustainability. In this way, it will be possible to obtain a close, personal, and direct view of the opinions of these professionals, as well as their perspective on sustainable fashion, the communication strategies used within slow fashion, and corporate social responsibility. When selecting the professionals, two basic criteria are established: the first is that the profile of the interviewees is that of a professional in the fashion sector, and the second is that these personalities are involved in issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR) or sustainability. Once these criteria have been established and after contacting several profiles, the chosen experts are listed in Table 3: Table 3. Names and positions of the interviewees. Name Position I1 Paloma del Soto Creator of the sustainable brand An&Be I2 Javier Luna Fashion designer of the brand Javier Luna Mexico I3 Eva Sánchez Amboage Professor (Universidad de Coruña, Spain) I4 Aitor Salinas Esquiroz Fashion journalist I5 Alfredo Álvarez Zaballos Beauty Marketing Specialist I6 Daniel Rabaneda Fashion designer I7 Ernesto Naranjo Fashion designer I8 David Alarcón CastejónContent editor and head of advertising and specialized projects for METAL Magazine I9 Concha Madero Fashion entrepreneur and professor (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain) I10 Eduardo Rodríguez Fashion designer Source: Own elaboration. In this way, the analysis of the interviews is carried out using the theory founded by [ 39 ], who affirms that the theory must emerge from the discourse. After the interviews, the transcription of the audio and text is obtained as a primary document. Subsequently, these texts are coded with the aim of cataloging the themes that correspond to the answers of the interview [40]. To obtain a comprehensive and holistic response, the same interview, organized into four blocks, is applied to the 10 profiles: 1. Sustainable fashion: introductory block with basic questions about sustainable fashion, the characteristics associated with a slow fashion brand, or the possibility of slow fashion as a temporary option, among others. Sustainability 2023,15, 423 7 of 17 2. Sustainable fashion at a business level: this point delves into the possible problems of sustainable brands, the relationship of these firms with influencers, or the competition of these brands with large firms. 3. Slow fashion and communication: ask how these brands should communicate, the power of social networks, and the strategies of slow fashion firms. 4. Corporate social responsibility (CSR): the different processes of incorporating CSR into a fashion department are studied, as well as the customer–consumer assessment of CSR in a fashion brand. 4. Results 4.1. Phase 1: Content Analysis The analysis of the 655 posts published over 6 months by the five sustainable fashion brands under study allows us to understand the communication strategies used by these firms, the stories they shared, and the impact generated on the Instagram social network. In addition, the participation of influencers in making their products known, as well as the visual elements used and the periodicity of the digital publications of these brands, is also explored. Considering the data provided by the sample, one of the most notable aspects is the difference between the volumes of monthly publications of some brands compared to the low number of posts of others (Figure 1). In this sense, some of the firms did not generate any content on Instagram in certain months, such as ECOOLOGY in January. On the contrary, the Alohas brand has a totally different social media strategy, publishing more than one daily post and being the brand with the most social media content, with a total of 213 posts. Sustainability 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of 17 In this way, the analysis of the interviews is carried out using the theory founded by [39], who affirms that the theory must emerge from the discourse. After the interviews, the transcription of the audio and text is obtained as a primary document. Subsequently, these texts are coded with the aim of cataloging the themes that correspond to the answers of the interview [40]. To obtain a comprehensive and holistic response, the same interview, organized into four blocks, is applied to the 10 profiles: 1. Sustainable fashion: introductory block with basic questions about sustainable fashion, the characteristics associated with a slow fashion brand, or the possibility of slow fashion as a temporary option, among others. 2. Sustainable fashion at a business level: this point delves into the possible problems of sustainable brands, the relationship of these firms with influencers, or the competition of these brands with large firms. 3. Slow fashion and communication: ask how these brands should communicate, the power of social networks, and the strategies of slow fashion firms. 4. Corporate social responsibility (CSR): the different processes of incorporating CSR into a fashion department are studied, as well as the customer–consumer assessment of CSR in a fashion brand. 4. Results 4.1. Phase 1: Content Analysis The analysis of the 655 posts published over 6 months by the five sustainable fashion brands under study allows us to understand the communication strategies used by these firms, the stories they shared, and the impact generated on the Instagram social network. In addition, the participation of influencers in making their products known, as well as the visual elements used and the periodicity of the digital publications of these brands, is also explored. Considering the data provided by the sample, one of the most notable aspects is the difference between the volumes of monthly publications of some brands compared to the low number of posts of others (Figure 1). In this sense, some of the firms did not generate any content on Instagram in certain months, such as ECOOLOGY in January. On the contrary, the Alohas brand has a totally different social media strategy, publishing more than one daily post and being the brand with the most social media content, with a total of 213 posts. Figure 1. Monthly posts. Source: Own elaboration. 29 30 27 25 27 33 10 8 4 7 12 10 31 30 26 32 31 30 35 35 31 37 38 37 10 01 3 5 21 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 December January February March April May Yosoloveoamor LIFEGIST ECOALF Alohas ECOOLOGY Figure 1. Monthly posts. Source: Own elaboration. On the other hand, the brands ECOALF, with a total of 180 posts, and YosoLOVEamor, with 171 entries, resort to a more leisurely strategy, with an almost daily frequency in their Instagram posts. Compared to them, it is observed that the LIFEGIST brand produces little content, with 51 posts, and so does ECOOLOGY, which has only 40 posts. In relation to the latter, it should be noted that it presents an uneven periodicity, publishing 10 of them in December, a key month in the Christmas campaign, and 21 May, a time related to the first summer sales. In this line, taking into account the total number of publications per month, it can be seen that May is the month with the most posts, registering a total of 131, Sustainability 2023,15, 423 8 of 17 coinciding with the spring/summer campaign. On the contrary, February is the month with the least content, which may be related to the fact that it is in that month when the sales end (advertised and promoted during January) and customers spend less money, waiting for the new collections oriented to spring and summer moments. In short, it should be noted that the sustainable brand with the highest number of publications during the sample was Alohas, with 32.51%, followed by ECOALF (27.48%) and YosoLOVEamor (26.10%). At the opposite extreme are LIFEGIST (7.78%) and ECOOLOGY, with only 40 publications, equating to 6.10%. These data (Figure 2) show that the five fashion brands follow totally different strategies when it comes to their social media content. In this way, the data confirm that some of the brands are committed to the Instagram platform as a key means of promotion, distribution, and contact with their customers, while others do not end up decisively resorting to this social network. Sustainability 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 17 On the other hand, the brands ECOALF, with a total of 180 posts, and YosoLOVEamor, with 171 entries, resort to a more leisurely strategy, with an almost daily frequency in their Instagram posts. Compared to them, it is observed that the LIFEGIST brand produces little content, with 51 posts, and so does ECOOLOGY, which has only 40 posts. In relation to the latter, it should be noted that it presents an uneven periodicity, publishing 10 of them in December, a key month in the Christmas campaign, and May 21, a time related to the first summer sales. In this line, taking into account the total number of publications per month, it can be seen that May is the month with the most posts, registering a total of 131, coinciding with the spring/summer campaign. On the contrary, February is the month with the least content, which may be related to the fact that it is in that month when the sales end (advertised and promoted during January) and customers spend less money, waiting for the new collections oriented to spring and summer moments. In short, it should be noted that the sustainable brand with the highest number of publications during the sample was Alohas, with 32.51%, followed by ECOALF (27.48%) and YosoLOVEamor (26.10%). At the opposite extreme are LIFEGIST (7.78%) and ECOOLOGY, with only 40 publications, equating to 6.10%. These data (Figure 2) show that the five fashion brands follow totally different strategies when it comes to their social media content. In this way, the data confirm that some of the brands are committed to the Instagram platform as a key means of promotion, distribution, and contact with their customers, while others do not end up decisively resorting to this social network. Figure 2. Total percentage of publications. Source: Own elaboration. Linking these data with the number of followers of the brands, the figures suggest that the two brands with the highest number of followers, Alohas (985K) and ECOOLOGY (221K), follow completely different communication strategies. The first of these firms decides to offer its followers consistent and regular content over time, uploading more than one photo a day. In this sense, despite having a large, consolidated audience on this platform, the Alohas team does not hesitate to keep their followers informed, providing new content almost every day. With this strategy, it seeks to remind its customers of its products’ characteristics, what offers exist, its business vision, and the materials they use, and they also delve into sustainability as a fundamental pillar of their work. On the contrary, ECOOLOGY resorts to a different strategy, since it has a loyal audience that likely invests in the brand on a regular basis, without the need for a comFigure 2. Total percentage of publications. Source: Own elaboration. Linking these data with the number of followers of the brands, the figures suggest that the two brands with the highest number of followers, Alohas (985 K) and ECOOLOGY (221 K), follow completely different communication strategies. The first of these firms decides to offer its followers consistent and regular content over time, uploading more than one photo a day. In this sense, despite having a large, consolidated audience on this platform, the Alohas team does not hesitate to keep their followers informed, providing new content almost every day. With this strategy, it seeks to remind its customers of its products’ characteristics, what offers exist, its business vision, and the materials they use, and they also delve into sustainability as a fundamental pillar of their work. On the contrary, ECOOLOGY resorts to a different strategy, since it has a loyal audience that likely invests in the brand on a regular basis, without the need for a communication strategy as incisive and consistent as the competition. In addition, it can also resort to other informative, commercial, or communication channels. Going deeper into the characteristics that determine the online discourse of the selected sustainable fashion brands, it is worth knowing the audiovisual resources used by these firms to spread their products on Instagram. Thus, we must take into account that this social network allows you to upload both images and videos when creating new content. In this way, sustainable fashion brands (Figure 3) have a clear tendency to use photographs (69.32%), as opposed to videos (30.68%). This fact shows that the image is the visual element with the greatest weight within the social networks of these brands, a decision that may be related to the economic nature of this static visual resource. It must be borne in mind that Sustainability 2023,15, 423 9 of 17 the vast majority of these firms are small companies, with very small teams, tight budgets, and oriented, for the most part, to the production and distribution of the garments they design; thus, the money allocated for communication strategies or the creation of content for social networks is very limited. In this sense, it is much cheaper to take a photo than a video because it requires more time and a larger production process. In fact, in various publications, it can be seen that designers often take photos or pose with their creations, which also helps reduce costs. Sustainability 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 of 17 for a communication strategy as incisive and consistent as the competition. In addition, it can also resort to other informative, commercial, or communication channels. Going deeper into the characteristics that determine the online discourse of the selected sustainable fashion brands, it is worth knowing the audiovisual resources used by these firms to spread their products on Instagram. Thus, we must take into account that this social network allows you to upload both images and videos when creating new content. In this way, sustainable fashion brands (Figure 3) have a clear tendency to use photographs (69.32%), as opposed to videos (30.68%). This fact shows that the image is the visual element with the greatest weight within the social networks of these brands, a decision that may be related to the economic nature of this static visual resource. It must be borne in mind that the vast majority of these firms are small companies, with very small teams, tight budgets, and oriented, for the most part, to the production and distribution of the garments they design; thus, the money allocated for communication strategies or the creation of content for social networks is very limited. In this sense, it is much cheaper to take a photo than a video because it requires more time and a larger production process. In fact, in various publications, it can be seen that designers often take photos or pose with their creations, which also helps reduce costs. Figure 3. Use of audiovisual on Instagram. Source: Own elaboration. Regarding the volume of videos and photographs used by each brand, it should be noted that 94.14% of the Yosoloveoamor posts are photographs, with this firm being the one that makes the greatest commitment to this visual resource. In the opposite case, the ECOOLOGY brand bets the most on video (62.50%), making it their key resource when it comes to advertising content on this social network. The rest of the firms (see Graph 3), LIFEGIST and Alohas, follow a strategy similar to that of Yosoloveoamor, where the image is the fundamental element with which to make their products known on the platform, while ECOALF moves away from this strategy; they have almost achieved a balance between the two audiovisual resources analyzed. Considering the videos uploaded by these firms, an important fact to take into account is the audience, and specifically the monitoring and use of these audiovisual materials (see Table 4). In this sense, the number of views achieved thanks to the 168 videos published by these sustainable clothing brands exceeds 3 million visits (3,177,447). Disaggregating the data for each of the firms under study, it should be noted that the sustainable firm Alohas is the one that achieves the most visits, as its 50 videos reach almost 2 million viewers (1,865,899). However, it should also be noted that the Figure 3. Use of audiovisual on Instagram. Source: Own elaboration. Regarding the volume of videos and photographs used by each brand, it should be noted that 94.14% of the Yosoloveoamor posts are photographs, with this firm being the one that makes the greatest commitment to this visual resource. In the opposite case, the ECOOLOGY brand bets the most on video (62.50%), making it their key resource when it comes to advertising content on this social network. The rest of the firms (see Graph 3), LIFEGIST and Alohas, follow a strategy similar to that of Yosoloveoamor, where the image is the fundamental element with which to make their products known on the platform, while ECOALF moves away from this strategy; they have almost achieved a balance between the two audiovisual resources analyzed. Considering the videos uploaded by these firms, an important fact to take into account is the audience, and specifically the monitoring and use of these audiovisual materials (see Table 4). In this sense, the number of views achieved thanks to the 168 videos published by these sustainable clothing brands exceeds 3 million visits (3,177,447). Disaggregating the data for each of the firms under study, it should be noted that the sustainable firm Alohas is the one that achieves the most visits, as its 50 videos reach almost 2 million viewers (1,865,899). However, it should also be noted that the company ECOALF has achieved over a million views (1,065,284) with its 72 videos. Regarding the average viralization of different brands, it should be noted that Alohas has the greatest impact, with 37,317 video views. However, it should be noted that the average of all brands is reduced by more than half (18,913) due to the minimal impact achieved by the company LIFEGIST (85). Sustainability 2023,15, 423 16 of 17 Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Data Availability Statement: Not applicable. Acknowledgments: Paloma del Soto, Javier Luna, Eva Sánchez Amboage, Aitor Salinas Esquiroz, Alfredo Álvarez Zaballos, Daniel Rabaneda, Ernesto Naranjo, David Alarcón Castejón, Concha Madero, Eduardo Rodríguez, Ricardo Domínguez and Íñigo Sanz. We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments, which helped enhance the outcome of this research. 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