About

Contextual Studies

For part of my course at university I was asked to create an essay based on a topic that interests me and a topic that I can back up with relevant research. After completing initial research which can be found on one of my pages on this blog, I decided to base my topic on fashion bloggers with a specific focus on; "Is the popularity of fashion bloggers affecting the ultimate shopping experience".

Outline

I will focus on; ·       What it is that bloggers do to appeal to the typical shopper. ·       How retailers are participating with bloggers to help promote their products. ·       If bloggers have an affect on where/how people shop. I will use a critical approach to research the cultural context of my study to ensure I have a fair and valid outcome. My Research For this topic I have planned to undertake research on the following areas: ·       Retailers to see what products and promotions they have and how they use bloggers in their marketing strategy, the retailers I will look at are; Missguided, Asos, Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, Topshop, Missselfridge, Newlook, and River Island. ·       I’ll visit the following stores to see what technology they use; John Lewis, Debenhams, H&M, Topshop and House of Fraser. ·       Interview a store manager from John Lewis and Outfit to find out their opinion on the use of technology and online retailers. ·       Research the background of fashion bloggers and what it is they do with a specific focus on these bloggers -        Sarah Ashcroft That Pommie Girl -        Victoria In the Frow -        Charlotte Fisher -        Lucy Rance lulutrixabelle -        Mel Ekrem  Poor Little Rich Chick ·       Interview a blogger to find out what exactly it is they do as a job and the affect they think they play on people using online retailers. ·       I will use reading sources such as BBC, Company magazine, The Times, Retail Week, Independent Fashion Bloggers and The Guardian to help me get background knowledge on the topic and see what other peoples opinions are. ·       Books I will look at are: Fashion Media: Past and Present, Fashion Marketing and Consumption of Luxury Brands, Hypertextuality and Remediation in the Fashion Media. ·       TV Programmes/Online videos I will look at: The TV series Fashion Bloggers aired on the style network this will help me see in person what a blogger does on a day to day basis. iMap I will create an iMap in the form of a blog to show my thought process and it will show all the relevant research I have found to help write my essay. I feel this goes well with the essay topic and it will show my creativity and research skills.