UA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & CREATIVE ACTIVITY CONFERENCE
2016

* First Place / Humanities

(re)Fashioning Vintage
visual branding/storytelling for a new local business with a smart phone and social media

Liza Rogers
Peirson Rogers
Fashion Design (Class of 2016)

Dr. Marcy L. Koontz, Faculty Advisor

This Ol’ Thing Vintage is a local small business that opened its first storefront in historic downtown Northport, Alabama in February 2015. It specializes in vintage southern clothing, shoes and accessories. This poster focuses on a project designed to create a visual branding/storytelling strategy in order to increase the businesses social media presence and ultimately its sales. Embracing the social media phenomenon is vital for businesses of all sizes. Many have successfully
translated their brands strategy online and, through effective visual storytelling, are reaping the monetary benefits.

Over a six-week period, current fashion trends were researched and sixteen looks were styled featuring vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. Photographs of each look were taken using a smart phone camera in the same location and time of day. One photograph was posted to the business’s Instagram and Facebook accounts each day during the project time frame. At the end of each week, the total number of account followers along with the total number of likes and comments for each photograph were documented. In addition, the business owner featured each of the items photographed within the store and recorded the date of sale for each item. Results of this visual branding strategy project revealed increases in social media interactions, in-store foot traffic and sales.