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This study aims to focus on the content published by social media influencers – i.e. YouTubers – on their YouTube channels. The main purpose of this research is to analyse whether anti-consumption-framed content (anti-hauls) generates more views, more dislikes (and less dislikes) and more comments, as customer engagement components, than pro-consumption-framed content (hauls).

Based on 160 videos published on YouTube by 80 influencers on their respective channels, this study mainly analyses whether there are differences between anti-consumption and pro-consumption content in the various elements that constitute customer engagement (i.e. number of views, likes, dislikes and comments).

Results indicate that there are differences between anti-consumption and pro-consumption content in terms of total number of views, likes, dislikes and comments. All these customer engagement components are higher for anti-consumption-framed videos, which offers interesting implications for both theory and practice.

This study extends previous literature by accounting content published by social media influencers on their social media accounts, instead of analysing the most traditionally studied content that is published by brands on their own social media; and classifying this content as anti/pro-consumption rather than using the traditional dichotomy between transactional/emotional content. Brands should pay special attention to the content generated by social media influencers because it is a powerful form of electronic word-of-mouth that currently plays a significant role in customers’ (non)purchase decisions.

This study aims to examine YouTube comments relevant to sustainable fashion posted on fashion haul videos over the past decade (2011–2021). It is guided by two research questions: (1) How have sustainable fashion-related comments posted on YouTube fashion haul videos changed over time? and (2) What themes are relevant to sustainable fashion in the comments posted on fashion haul videos?

A data set of comments from 110 fashion haul videos posted on YouTube was refined to only include comments with keywords related to sustainable fashion. Leximancer, a machine learning technique, was employed to identify concepts within the data and co-occurrences between concepts. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software was employed to assess the prevalence of concepts and identify sentiment over time.

Over the decade, the authors identified increased comments and conversations relevant to sustainable fashion. For instance, conversations surrounding sustainable fashion were linked to “waste” and “addicted” between 2011 and 2013, which evolved to include “environment” and “clothes” between 2014 and 2016, to “buy” and “workers” between 2017 and 2019 and “sustainable” between 2020 and 2021, demonstrating the changes in conversation topics over time.

With increasing engagement from YouTube viewers on sustainable fashion, retail-affiliated content that promotes sustainable fashion is proposed as one approach to engage viewers and promote sustainable practices in the fashion industry, whereby content creators can partner with retailers to feature products and educate viewers on the benefits of sustainable fashion.

The findings suggest that consumers are becoming more aware of and responsive to sustainable fashion. The originality of this research stems from identifying the source of this interest.

The YouTube affordance of auto-generated textual closed captions (CC) is valued by the YouTube algorithm, and therefore spoken words in vlogs can be strategically used to optimize and orient videos and channels for search. In their blog, YouTube suggests that complicity with their desire for rich and accurate CC is rewarded with algorithmic visibility (YouTube, 2017a). CC metadata are therefore an example of the significant degree of pressure for vloggers (video bloggers) on YouTube to optimize their content down to minutia of self-presentations. In this chapter I analyze the practice of highly visible beauty vloggers to conceptualize vlogging practices that contribute to algorithmically readable CC text. I term this labor vlogging parlance. Vlogging parlance includes keyword stuffing, defined as inserting often-searched-for keywords into speech. It also encompasses the strategic verbal expressions, language choice, speech pace, enunciation, and minimization of background noise by vloggers. Vlogging parlance can be thought of as a microcelebrity (Senft, 2008) technique, deployed to attract attention and visibility in an information-saturated online “attention economy,” a system of value in which often “money now flows along with attention” (Goldhaber, 1997). The call to optimize speech ultimately places responsibility onto creators to ensure their videos can become visible, while assisting YouTube in developing search accuracy for their viewers. Furthermore, the Western-centric language affordances of CC, and the high valuation of English on the YouTube platform, are used as examples of how social media platforms can underserve differently abled and non-English speaking audiences.

Often seen as a vulnerable group, tween girls fashioning themselves after adults have been a topic of significant concern. Public and academic discourse in the West has expressed worry that girls’ adult-like dressing may expose them to a range of physical, psychological and sexual harm. In most discussions on girls’ dressing, Western popular culture is also identified as one of the prevalent ways through which girls learn to how to fashion themselves after adults. It is claimed that Western television programmes, books and magazines encourage young girls to fashion themselves after adults at an earlier age. Recognising the importance of girls’ voices in their experiences of girlhood, this chapter draws exclusively on 12 focus groups, with 29 Singaporean girls aged 8–12. It finds that there are changing mediascapes in tween girls’ lives that have not been acknowledged. No longer predominantly watching television or browsing teen magazines, this chapter highlights how young Singaporean girls are now more likely to spend their time on the popular media platform YouTube. As girls gain mobility through their mobile communication devices, this chapter calls for a closer examination of YouTube in relation to girls’ dressing. Nonetheless, this chapter also acknowledges that while certain popular YouTube videos (re)produce highly narrow ideas of what a female should look or be like, it is not a simple issue of girls learning how to dress from their favourite YouTube stars. YouTubers also represented a lexicon of empowerment for some of the girls in this study.

The paper’s main goal is to examine the relationship between the video marketing of financial technologies (Fintechs) and their vulnerable website customers’ brand engagement in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

To extract the required outcomes, the authors gathered data from the five biggest Fintech websites and YouTube channels, performed multiple linear regression models and developed a hybrid (agent-based and dynamic) model to assess the performance connection between their video marketing analytics and vulnerable website customers’ brand engagement.

It has been found that video marketing analytics of Fintechs’ YouTube channels are a decisive factor in impacting their vulnerable website customers’ brand engagement and awareness.

By enhancing video marketing analytics of their YouTube channels, Fintechs can achieve greater levels of vulnerable website customers’ engagement and awareness. Higher levels of vulnerable customers’ brand engagement and awareness tend to decrease their vulnerability by enhancing their financial knowledge and confidence.

Fintechs should aim to increase the number of total videos on their YouTube channels and provide videos that promote their customers’ knowledge of their services to increase their brand engagement and awareness, thus reducing their vulnerability. Moreover, Fintechs should be aware not to over-post videos because they will be in an unfavorable position against their competitors.

This research offers valuable insights regarding the importance of video marketing strategies for Fintechs in promoting their vulnerable website customers’ brand awareness during crisis periods.