eWOM: The Rise of the Opinion Leaders

This chapter provides a conceptual overview of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and the rise of opinion leaders within the fashion context. This chapter discusses characteristics of fashion opinion leaders and their importance for eWOM marketing. By introducing products within a private and personal context, fashion opinion leaders’ eWOM messages have become a useful marketing channel for brands. As such, this chapter shows that social media has offered a democratisation of fashion opinion leadership from traditional gatekeepers to social media influencers, who emerge in each socio-economic group and influence the adoption, diffusion, and consumption of fashion.