Foundations of Information Systems: MIS500 Assignment 1 - Allbirds: A Study on Social Media Marketing Strategy for Sustainable Fashion

MIS500

Foundations of Information Systems

Assignment 1

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List of Figures

Introduction

Allbirds, launched in 2016 by Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger, is one of the marketplace’s most popular sneaker brands named for its dedication to sustainable production and its carbon-neutral company. The brand is based in San Francisco and sprouted from Brown’s vision to produce shoes out of natural, recyclable resources such as merino wool and eucalyptus trees. Brown partnered with Zwillinger, a renewables specialist, to enact this vision and bring more sustainable innovation to the sneaker market. The company has since moved to everyday wear, apparel, and all kinds of accessories all of which are made from eco-friendly materials. Allbirds given its social responsibility also aims at reducing its carbon emissions through the use of sugarcane soles and recycled plastic laces. The brand also holds the certification of B Corporation whose goals embrace public transparency, environmentally friendly actions, and accountability to society.

Discussion

This audit, analysis, and evaluation were conducted on Allbirds due to its strategic positioning in the sustainable fashion market especially as a leading sneaker manufacturer. The brand has recently enjoyed much fame and credit due to the utilization of natural raw materials which is renewable and thus optimizing the sustainable usage in the sub-sector of the footwear industry. That’s why it is chosen for this study; it offers the value that is meaningful in today’s world: environmental sustainability and comfort. To this end, a study of Allbirds’ social media marketing strategy offers a good insight into how social and digital media can be effectively used in optimizing a brand's marketing and selling activities as well as creating consumer awareness on environmental conservation. In addition, the company’s insistence on practicing carbon neutrality, as well as its openness regarding its supply chain, sets it apart from many of its competitors and makes it a prime candidate for studying how brands can construct a sustainable image in a very saturated market. By studying this company, it is possible to understand what part of the non-traditional approach to the concept of digitalization of technology plays in supporting the company’s success at a global level, as well as understanding the efforts by which Allbirds contributes to the concept of sustainability.

Audit and Analysis

Allbirds getting their products out into the market involves a website and social platforms, which help them to make environmentally sustainable products known. Newcomers to the site will be pleased with the simple website design that does not overload the viewer and corresponds to the task of the company to save the planet. Because of this, it focuses on materials, the carbon reduction plan, and sustainability in simple language and with the help of illustrations. Part of this project involves having an online carbon footprint for each product to enhance customer awareness. This makes the website informative but also entertaining; customers get a chance to know the effects of their spending.

Currently, the company’s marketing on different social media accounts is well established, and Allbirds has an online presence in chief social media accounts, which include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Linked In. These are very effective media through which communicate their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) annually especially environmental conservation and use of environmentally friendly products (Yang, Basile, & Letourneau, 2020, p. 1). For example, their stream consists of professionally designed post images that cover product releases, real customers’ stories, and environmental-friendly production processes. Customers have interacted on Instagram through stories and lights sections where they share, customers’ posts as well as brand collaborations where both parties emphasize more on environmental aspects.

Audit of Social Media Platforms Using Quesenberry's Tool

Table 1 social media platforms

Platform	Content	Sentiment	Frequency	Opportunity	Purpose/Performance
Instagram	Photos, videos, IG Stories	Positive, eco-conscious	Daily	More user-generated content, interactive features (polls, Q&As)	Increase follower engagement, build eco-friendly community
Twitter	Tweets, updates, customer interactions	Informative, responsive	Frequent	Join sustainability conversations using trending hashtags	Engage with customers, promote eco-friendly product updates
YouTube	Documentaries, ads	Storytelling, Educational	Major campaigns	Add tutorials on sustainable living/footwear care	Build long-term engagement, highlight Allbirds' sustainability leadership
LinkedIn	Posts, company updates	Professional, industry-focused	Regularly	Increase B2B collaboration on sustainability initiatives	Establish leadership sustainably, attract corporate partnerships

Figure 1: Twitter Account Details

Source: (Allbirds, 2024)

Figure 2: Twitter Account Posts

Source: (Allbirds, 2024)

Figure 3: Instagram Account Details

Source: (Allbirds, 2024)

Allbirds has a more frequent and dedicated target audience on Instagram, it has 506K followers while on Twitter it has only 31.8 K. From this we can infer that Instagram is more popular, or at least more influential for the brand. Regarding engagement, Allbirds is highly active but in a rather specific manner: on both platforms, the company follows only a few accounts. However, the brand is much more engaged on Instagram with 2 688 posts which is more visual and content-based than the company’s Twitter presence. This points to why Instagram is relevant for Son's engagement approach.

Recommendations Using Porter’s Value Chain Model

In Porter’s Value Chain toolkit, the company’s operations are divided into primary activities to enhance efficiency. As for Allbirds, establishing a sustainable mission means marketing and sales are in line with selling that mission.

1. Inbound Logistics (Materials Sourcing): Allbirds materials include merino wool and eucalyptus which are more sustainable. This can be taken and elaborated on in marketing by looking at specific sourcing stories through ground-up social media marketing. An illustrated set of articles regarding supplier relations and environmental initiatives will enhance the customers’ trust.

2. Operations (Product Design & Development): The brand currently already communicates its ecological approach to production. To strengthen it further, Allbirds can improve this by adding games or other web elements on their site that make customers aware of how many emissions each shoe has when produced and used.

3. Marketing & Sales: Allbirds is also very good at using Instagram and YouTube as they demonstrate the sustainability practices of the company. To expand exposure and extend the impact made, they should incorporate the application of Augmented Reality (AR) on their platforms which offers an option where users can try shoe models virtually (Plotkina, Dinsmore, and Racat, 2022, p. 7).

Figure 4: Porter Chain Value

(Chain, 2018)

Conclusion

Allbirds should increase the scope of its digital marketing to help improve sales and customer engagement with its line of sustainable, ecological products. This would include adding augmented reality capability to both their website and social media platforms, allowing shoppers to virtually try on shoes. They should also expand their influencer partnerships, especially on TikTok, to showcase this brand to a younger, ecologically conscious audience.

Furthermore, Pinterest and Snapchat are the additions Allbirds should consider to its social media mix. With Pinterest being interested in lifestyle content, it can help in showcasing sustainable living and eco-friendly fashion trends. Snapchat will be particularly helpful in engaging, time-sensitive content like behind-the-scenes stories or flash/limited-edition product drops. This helps them reconnect with their customer base for better awareness and sales of the sustainable footwear line.

Recommendations for Increasing Sales and Customer Engagement

1. Augmented Reality (AR) Integration:

Integrate AR solutions on a website and application for social networks enabling customers to see how shoes look on them. Such an approach will result in increased user engagement and consequent sale of products online.

2. Expand Influencer Collaborations:

Expand the collaborations with influencers on TikTok to engage younger audiences interested in environmental concerns. This will increase awareness of Allbirds’ products, and help spread the word about the company’s green credentials.

3. Introduce Pinterest and Snapchat:

For promoting sustainable fashion trends and environmental consciousness use Pinterest, for behind-the-scenes stories or special store drops, use Snapchat. These will add more channels through which Allbirds can reach more customers and enhance the customer’s interactions with sustainable products.

References

Allbirds (2024). Allbirds | Instagram. https://instagram.com/allbirds?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

?Allbirds (2024). Allbirds | Twitter. https://twitter.com/Allbirds?t=CCjqgsfhqb_AHpJ4EfiKjw&s=08

Chain, V. (2018). Value Chain Analysis EXPLAINED with EXAMPLES | B2U. Www.google.com. https://www.google.com/imgres?q=porter%27s%20generic%20value%20chain%20model&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fwww.business-to-you.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2FPorters-Value-Chain-Linkages-1.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.business-to-you.com%2Fvalue-chain%2F&docid=KNtz1gnI7NO_FM&tbnid=-2zilQlr1dnESM&vet=12ahUKEwiZ64KDvPuIAxVJfGwGHVjLBVYQM3oECF0QAA..i&w=1198&h=619&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwiZ64KDvPuIAxVJfGwGHVjLBVYQM3oECF0QAA

Plotkina, D., Dinsmore, J. and Racat, M., 2022. Improving service brand personality with augmented reality marketing. Journal of Services Marketing, 36(6), pp.781-799. https://www.academia.edu/download/83278070/10_1108_JSM_12_2020_0519.pdf

Yang, J., Basile, K., & Letourneau, O. (2020). The impact of social media platform selection on effectively communicating about corporate social responsibility. Journal of Marketing Communications, 26(1), 65-87. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jing-Yang-176/publication/326665825_The_impact_of_social_media_platform_selection_on_effectively_communicating_about_corporate_social_responsibility/links/5ce2cb3b92851c4eabb0a97e/The-impact-of-social-media-platform-selection-on-effectively-communicating-about-corporate-social-responsibility.pdf