A recap: Why is social media marketing vital for fashion brands?

Social media has reshaped consumer behavior in fashion, becoming a key marketing channel. For Gen Z and Millennials, social media is essential for trend discovery, product research, and shopping. TikTok and Instagram merge entertainment with e-commerce, making them crucial for fashion brands that rely on high-quality visuals and real-time engagement.

User-generated content (UGC) and influencer marketing are now central strategies. UGC offers authentic endorsements, while influencers help brands reach niche audiences. In 2025, the global influencer marketing market was estimated to reach a record of approximately 33 billion U.S. dollars.

A well-optimized strategy can help DTC brands boost brand loyalty, engagement, and revenue. However, staying effective requires regular audits to assess performance, track audience sentiment, and adapt to evolving consumer expectations.

Case study: How a $4B global fashion retailer can win over Gen Z & Millennials on social media

Our client: A youth-oriented global fashion retailer

Brand X is a global fashion retailer known for its youth-oriented apparel since the late 70s. They target consumers aged 18-35, making social media essential for engaging Gen Z and Millennials. With a strong identity in casual and streetwear fashion, Brand X has built a loyal following across the U.S., Europe, and beyond. The brand maintains a significant digital presence on Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter), alongside an annual paid advertising budget of up to €15M in Europe alone.

While the U.S. remains its largest market, Brand X’s strong global recognition makes its social media strategy a key marketing asset.

Objective of the Crealytics social media audit

This audit evaluates Brand X’s social media reputation, audience sentiment, and key discussion topics. Understanding consumer perceptions helps assess engagement, brand reputation, and areas for improvement. Beyond engagement metrics, the audit explores online conversations on customer service, product feedback, and fashion trends. Identifying sentiment patterns and discussion themes enables Brand X to refine its digital strategy, address concerns, and seize growth opportunities.

Truly understanding your audience

This audit uses sentiment analysis and topic modeling to examine one year of Instagram and TikTok data.

· Sentiment analysis categorizes public sentiment as positive or negative, focusing on how consumers feel about Brand X, while neutral sentiment is excluded but considered for engagement evaluation.

· Topic modeling identifies recurring themes, highlighting key trends, consumer concerns, and brand narratives.

Our audit showed that people engage more on Instagram than on TikTok

63.1% of total comments come from Instagram, and the rest 36.9% come from TikTok. Engagement peaks from September to November, driven by Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas, then gradually declines from December to June, indicating higher user interaction during the holiday shopping season.

Key sentiments & hot topics about Brand X on Instagram & TikTok

Total positive vs. negative comments: 88% positive vs. rest 12% negative, meaning that brand perception of Brand X in the chosen time has been mostly positive.

Most comments are short and lack clear context, leading to their categorization as "others." The second-largest category is "music," driven by keywords like "nirvana," "audio," and "sound," followed by "brand perception," "stock," "colour," and "design."

To leverage these insights, Brand X can:

· Enhance content strategies by using trending songs in Instagram and TikTok videos to boost engagement.

· Diversify content formats across key topics to sustain interest and identify improvement areas.

· Address demand for restocks and new color options by integrating customer feedback into product management.

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Sentiment and topics discussed month over month

Most months show a correlation between positive and negative comments, except December, where negative comments rise as positive ones decline. Brand X can analyze December data to identify the source of negativity and refine business practices to address customer concerns during this period.

Share of positive and negative comments among topics

Most comments across topics are positive, but music, size, home items, stock, and ethical issues have higher negativity. These require close monitoring, with Brand X addressing concerns through content that aligns with audience sentiment. For home items, stock, and size, analyzing negativef eedback can help refine product strategy to meet industry demand.

What we discovered: key insights & trends for Brand X

This audit equips Brand X with key insights into consumer perception, trending topics, and engagement shifts across social media. Using sentiment analysis and topic modeling, we identify emerging trends to help refine messaging and strengthen connections with Gen Z and Millennials. These insights support content optimization, customer service improvements, and proactive reputation management.

While sentiment analysis has limitations, such as detecting sarcasm, multilingual content, and influencer impact, it remains a valuable tool for gauging public perception and guiding strategy. Rather than absolute truths, these insights serve as a directional guide for enhancing digital marketing, brand reputation, and customer relationships. By continuously monitoring social sentiment and conversation trends, Brand X can stay agile, adapting to the evolving social media landscape and maintaining its competitive edge.

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In need of a brand audit? Reach out to us now!

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About Crealytics

Crealytics is an award-winning full-funnel digital marketing agency fueling the profitable growth of over 100 well-known B2C and B2B businesses, including ASOS, The Hut Group, Staples and Urban Outfitters. A global company with an inclusive team of 200+ international employees, we operate from our hubs in Berlin, New York, Chicago, London, and Mumbai.