What are the ways to play "color economics"?, Maillard fashion is coming again, dopamine fashion has become popular in economics | color | city

This summer, dopamine outfits suddenly became popular, becoming a new trend in fashion color matching that fashion enthusiasts in front of screens are eager to try.

What is dopamine dressing? Why is it popular? What marketing communication and consumption trends can it quickly become popular among consumers, reflecting?

Xu Mengran, a young associate researcher in the Marketing Department of the School of Management at Fudan University, brought her observations and interpretations.

Why is dopamine dressing popular this summer

Looking at the news: The combination of psychology and marketing is your academic research expertise. How did you think of following "dopamine outfits"?

Xu Mengran: I have been studying and researching psychology for many years, and now I have focused my research direction on the field of marketing. My main research topics include consumer behavior, consumer decision-making power, word-of-mouth communication, brand loyalty, etc.

As a result of the research content, I need to maintain my attention to some of the relatively new trends and marketing models in the current era, especially to pay more attention to the consumption preferences, trends, and psychology of young people. For this reason, I often go to websites and social media platforms that young people like to watch the most popular content, videos, etc., and then try to use various methods and resources from academic research to analyze and interpret. From my observation, dopamine dressing is one of the most noteworthy consumer phenomena this summer.

Readers interested in medicine and psychology may not be unfamiliar with dopamine. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the human body, which is involved in regulating emotions, attention, reward systems, and motivational behavior. When people feel happy, the brain releases dopamine, which makes them feel happy and promotes positive behavior and learning. Appropriate dopamine release can enhance attention, motivation, creativity, and social skills. Perhaps it is from this that "dopamine dressing" was born.

Dopamine dressing mainly consists of bright, vibrant, and colorful color combinations. Similar to the effect of dopamine, dopamine dressing can also make people feel happy. Of course, the emotional healing effect of dopamine dressing does not lie in the clothing itself, but in using bright and vibrant dressing to evoke positive emotions and achieve positive associations.

Looking at the news: Why did "dopamine dressing" resonate with many people this summer?

Xu Mengran: According to my observation, "dopamine dressing" has become popular among consumers this summer. On the one hand, it is due to the current emotional and social needs of consumers. On the other hand, "dopamine dressing" is also a popular product of "internet celebrity marketing" to some extent.

Let's first talk about the emotional needs of consumers, especially young consumers. After years of the epidemic, people actually crave to embrace the formation of a new order in life with a relatively positive psychological state. This is a healthy psychological manifestation. In the four seasons of the year, summer is a relatively "outward" rather than "inward" season. During this season, most of the things in nature are in a state of "passionate and flourishing". Although people need to fight against high temperatures, avoid heat, etc., overall, the mood during the summer vacation is still relatively relaxed and relaxed. This provides a perfect seasonal background for dopamine outfits that use bright and colorful outfits to give people a good mood.

Let's talk about the impact of "internet celebrity marketing". From the perspective of "dopamine dressing" becoming the generation path of popular fashion, "internet celebrity marketing" with "fashion influencers" and "fashion bloggers" as the main force is indispensable.

The current internet celebrity marketing combines both new and old marketing tools, adopting the concept of celebrity endorsement and infiltrating relevant concepts into content driven marketing activities. The main producers and disseminators of these marketing activities are "fashion bloggers" and "fashion media people" on various content platforms. In any industry circle, there are always some influential and articulate individuals. They are easily recognized by thousands of fans. The fan base of fashion bloggers and fashion media professionals happens to be the target audience pursued by fashion and beauty brands.

When popular fashion opinion leaders encounter consumers who are psychologically eager to be "refreshed" and "inspired" by fashion information, the easily achievable "dopamine dressing" becomes a trend.

In Sydney, Australia, athletes are participating in a color running event. Colorful running is a running activity that promotes health, happiness, and self-expression. Shen Jizhong

The rapid spread of internet celebrity marketing and its influence are not only due to the charm of bloggers

Looking at the news: If caring about fashion trends is a human instinct or a necessity for information in the social process, then being willing to follow current fashion trends is another matter?

Xu Mengran: This brings us to a very classic theory in social psychology - the conformity effect.

In the past, people's observation and understanding of the "conformity effect" usually focused on the level of "normative social influence". For example, in a classic social experiment, a group of experimenters dressed as ordinary elevator passengers and their subjects shared a direct elevator ride. What this experimental subject didn't know was that the other experimenters would receive signals at the same time and choose to turn right or left while riding the elevator.

For ordinary people, this is a strange behavior because they usually choose to stand facing the elevator door when taking the elevator. However, in the process of this social experiment, all experimental subjects underwent a synchronous turn from initial hesitation to gradually echoing or even closely following the footsteps of other "passengers".

This phenomenon confirms the conformity effect caused by normative social influence. Sometimes, even though we know that the choices or actions of others may not be correct or questionable, we still choose to make judgments and actions that are similar to those of others but not necessarily accepted by ourselves.

Dopamine dressing has become popular, and I believe it can be better explained by another phenomenon of conformity that many may not be paying much attention to.

When people see the popular colorful outfits on social media, some may think that these dressing trends are a gimmick, while others tend to follow the current trends, recommendations from bloggers, and brand promotion hotspots, choosing products that conform to the "dopamine dressing" concept. This is obviously not consumers blindly following trends, but rather their interest or sensitivity towards trends, which is a recognition of the vision of their favorite bloggers. After being influenced by this "informational social influence", this group of consumers become more convinced of the underlying logic of "dopamine dressing" based on color psychology.

The following behavior generated by information-based social influence reflects the effectiveness of internet celebrity marketing in rapidly spreading popular trends. The reason why internet celebrity marketing spreads very quickly is not only because these bloggers rely on their personal intelligence and charm to establish a good reputation and reputation in their fan groups; The underlying reason is that the current mass communication has gradually moved away from the "era of big broadcasting", and people's interest orientation and information reception habits have gradually shown a trend of stratification.

In this trend, it is crucial for media, business, and brands to communicate more accurately and persuasively with their target audience. The emergence of bloggers and fashion influencers who have a trusted fan base has made these "personal brands" more effective and accurate information dissemination subjects. Compared to celebrities, these "personal brands" are more approachable and can give fans a sense of empathy and empathy. At the same time, these bloggers and fashion experts often specialize in their respective fields. Their accumulated expertise within small circles also makes them more persuasive.

In this way, like many current hot trends and items, "dopamine outfits" have rapidly spread like ripples among consumers, especially young consumers, with the guidance of fashion bloggers and influencers.

In London, UK, several pedestrians walked through an underground passage illuminated by colorful lights. Shen Jizhong

New consumer trends lurking in the choices of the younger generation

Looking at the news: The rise of this dopamine dressing trend has shown us a group of young people who love life, are creative, and actively embrace their various emotional feelings. What are your observations on the consumption psychology and behavior of the younger generation today?

Xu Mengran: Overall, the consumption psychology and behavior of the younger generation always change with their preferences. The growth stage, living situation, and professional field of an individual also have a significant impact on their consumption psychology and behavior. If there is any commonality, it is that young people are more proactive in embracing change, more willing to experience new things, more daring to make choices, and more sensitive to feeling their own hearts.

Take some fashion bloggers and influencers nowadays as examples. They mostly enjoy sharing, love to express themselves, and have a strong personality. They dare to love, hate, and try various situations in life, and are very sensitive and honest about their inner feelings and emotions. Their characteristics almost correspond one-to-one with the types that young people like today. Nowadays, fashion bloggers and influencers are much more professional than previous generations. They do a lot of homework before analyzing some fashion trends, sorting out the historical context and anecdotes. There are many of them who are particularly particular about ingredients and elements. Focusing on a thing will lead to a thorough understanding of its internal mechanism, underlying logic, basic knowledge, and scientific knowledge, and they will never tire of it... Such experts are cute and flesh and blood in the eyes of consumers, and their sharing and narration are convincing.

Specifically, in tracing and observing the trend of dopamine dressing, I have also discovered some potential trends among younger consumers. That is, they have a very keen perception of individual emotions. In recent years, the popularity of the "color economy", "phenology economy", and "blind box economy" is closely related to the younger generation's perception and keen perception of their subtle emotions in the present or a certain moment.

After the rise of dopamine dressing, there have also been some different voices coming out. Some people feel that this kind of dressing is too "out of style" and "out of place", which is not in line with some social scenes. But for those who value their inner feelings, the reason they choose to dress in this way is a reflection of expressing themselves, showcasing personal style, and longing for personality release. In their hearts, their expression demands sometimes outweigh adherence to some conventional aesthetic standards. This choice is in line with the characteristics of young people today.

Looking at the news: Based on the observation of the consumption behavior of young people today, what suggestions would you bring to the brand and the enterprise?

Xu Mengran: I recently visited a company that has been operating its own Hanfu brand for many years. My feeling is that in order for brands to achieve significant development, they must put in a lot of effort in product segmentation. The underlying logic behind this is the circular consumption trend mentioned earlier.

Taking Hanfu as an example, there are many considerations in the material and style of clothing. However, the demands of different consumers for materials and standards can create huge differences due to personal preferences and usage scenarios. This tests the wisdom of brand owners - whether they can keenly perceive and distinguish the needs and requirements of different audiences, and then accurately develop products of different series, themes, styles, and even materials and standards. For Hanfu, how to make it easier for oneself to be worn out is also a challenge for enterprises.

What kind of design is more suitable for specific needs in certain situations? What kind of craftsmanship and materials are more easily integrated into daily life scenes, making it convenient for consumers to dress and travel?

What kind of clothing and accessory combination can meet the "seasonal", "thematic", and "scenario oriented" dressing needs of consumers?

What kind of product can effectively increase consumer repurchase rates and facilitate mass production by manufacturers?

Taking into account the feelings and needs of different consumers, achieving a balance between valuing consumer feelings and needs and seeking sustainable development for the enterprise itself will become a necessary battle for brands to win.

A giant abstract painting appears on a modern high-rise building in Pudong New Area, with four different color blocks soaring into the sky, creating a unique outdoor space in "steel and cement". The picture shows two staff members piecing together this giant abstract painting. Liberation Daily Information Images