This study examines how fashion designer-entrepreneurs (FDEs) leverage digital storytelling on social media to build brand identity and engage audiences, focusing on the case of Jicheng, a Chinese FDE on Weibo. By analyzing posts over nine months, the research explores how storytelling formats (text, photos, videos) and cultural themes (such as human nature and time/space) affect audience engagement, measured through likes, comments, and shares. The findings indicate that text-photo combinations and relatable, timely content are the most effective in fostering interaction and social capital. The paper offers recommendations for FDEs to enhance digital storytelling, emphasizing the importance of balancing thematic consistency with content novelty to support brand growth and audience loyalty. This approach underscores the critical role of cultivating sustainable relationships between FDEs and their audiences.
Weinberg BD, de Ruyter K, Dellarocas C, et al., 2013, Destination Social Business: Exploring an Organization’s Journey with Social Media, Collaborative Community and Expressive Individuality. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 27(4): 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.09.006
Belussi F, Sedita S, 2011, Managing Situated Creativity in Cultural Industries (1st ed). Routledge, Oxfordshire.
Molloy M, Larner W, 2010, Who Needs Cultural Intermediaries Indeed? Journal of Cultural Economy, 3(3): 361–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2010.506322
Dimaggio P, 1982, Cultural Entrepreneurship in Nineteenth-Century Boston: The Creation of an Organizational Base for High Culture in America. Media, Culture and Society, 4(1): 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/016344378200400104
Scott M, 2012, Cultural Entrepreneurs, Cultural Entrepreneurship: Music Producers Mobilising and Converting Bourdieu’s Alternative Capitals. Poetics, 40(3): 237–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2012.03.002
Weber M, 1930, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Unwin Hyman, London & Boston.
Schumpeter, JA, 1934, The Theory of Economic Development: An Inquiry into Profits, Capital, Credit, Interest and the Business Cycle. Transaction Publishers, Piscataway.
Kabbara D, Zucchella A, 2023, Transnational Entrepreneurship. Insights from Female Entrepreneurs in the Modest Fashion Industry. Journal of International Management, 29(5): 101058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2023.101058
Bourdieu P, 1997, The Forms of Capital, in Halsey AH (ed), Education: Culture, Economy and Society. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 241–258.
Tan N, Fang J, Li X, 2024, Digital Finance, Culture Capital, and Entrepreneurial Entry. Finance Research Letters, 62(A): 105109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2024.105109
Swedberg R, 2006, The Cultural Entrepreneur and the Creative Industries: Beginning in Vienna. Journal of Cultural Economics, 30(4): 243–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-006-9016-5
Malita L, Martin C, 2010, Digital Storytelling as Web Passport to Success in the 21st Century. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2): 3060–3064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.465
Brown S, Kozinets RV, Sherry FJ Jr., 2003, Teaching Old Brands New Tricks: Retro Branding and the Revival of Brand Meaning. Journal of Marketing, 67(3): 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.67.3.19.18657
Filo K, Lock D, Karg A, 2014, Sport and Social Media Research: A Review. Sport Management Review, 18(2): 166–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2014.11.001
Labrecque LI, Markos E, Milne GR, 2011, Online Personal Branding: Processes, Challenges, and Implications. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 25(1): 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2010.09.002
Yoo JJ, 2023, Visual Strategies of Luxury and Fast Fashion Brands on Instagram and Their Effects on User Engagement. Journal of Retailing and Customer Services, 75: 103517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103517
Conner L, 2004, Who Gets to Tell the Meaning? Building Audience Enrichment. GIA Reader, 15(1): 60–80.
Crawford G, Gosling V, Bagnall G, et al., 2014, Is There an App for That? A Case Study of the Potentials and Limitations of the Participatory Turn and Networked Publics for Classical Music Audience Engagement. Information, Communication & Society, 17(9): 1072–1085. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2013.877953
Bourdieu P, 1985, The Social Space and the Genesis of Groups. Theory and Society, 14(6): 723–744.
Schein EH, 1992, Organizational Culture and Leadership (2nd ed). Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Schein EH, 2004, Organizational Culture and Leadership (3rd ed). Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
De Clercq D, Voronov M, 2009, The Role of Cultural and Symbolic Capital in Entrepreneurs’ Ability to Meet Expectations about Conformity and Innovation. Journal of Small Business Management, 47(3): 398–420. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2009.00276.x
McMullen JS, Ding AW, Li S, 2021, From Cultural Entrepreneurship to Economic Entrepreneurship in Cultural Industries: The Role of Digital Serialization. Journal of Business Venturing, 36(6): 106157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2021.106157
Fauzi MA, Sapuan NM, Mohd Zainudin N, 2023, Women and Female Entrepreneurship: Past, Present, and Future Trends in Developing Countries. Entrepreneurial Business and Economic Review, 11(3): 57–75. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2023.110304